Master Thy Self
by Dreamingfox
Summary: Ranma finds himself in another world but what good is a martial artist in a world of ninja? A joint mission with the Leaf and Waterfall - okay. How bad can Ranma mess things up?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes –

Just something I've been tinkering with over the past few months.

* * *

"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." – Albert Einstein

"The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom." – Arthur Schopenhauer

* * *

For as long as he could remember, challenge and change had been consistent factors in his life. First was the challenge of learning the art, then the challenge of enduring his father's training, the traveling to challenge or learn from various schools and masters, and then finally of having those whom he thought of as rivals before finally settling into Nerima and dealing with the complications of having multiple fiancées along with dealing with the multiple suitors that pined after said fiancées.

Since his battle with Saffron and the failed wedding things had become routine, and that was just boring. The daily spars with his father had become one-sided since he'd filled out his frame with lean muscle so that his father no longer had an advantage in strength. Even the challenge of having his so-called-rivals teaming up against him no longer provided him with a challenge.

He had hoped that things would change once the new term began and Kuno graduated, but the now former captain of the kendo team still came to school every morning to challenge for the right to date Akane. The only thing that had changed was that Nabiki was no longer at the school to run her betting pools, instead Ukyo had taken up the betting pools as a means of supplementing her income.

The only thing that had changed was his relationship with Akane. She was still prone to being kidnapped occasionally but her feelings towards him had cooled. Where there had once been the potential for friendship and even love, there now was nothing. She was still prone to striking him whenever he found himself in a situation that she might deem inappropriate, but those had become fewer and fewer.

He knew that she was afraid, just as his former rivals were. They knew he was a killer, and they had felt enough of his smothering rage in the few punches and kicks that he'd doled out on them to know that if they pushed any further then he wouldn't hold back. Only Happosai seemed to avoid it as the pair would clash at least once a week, trading quick barbs and banter as well as punches and kicks.

With a sad smile, the old grandmaster sighed as he relaxed his guard. "I see it has finally come to this." Ranma's brow raised quizzically, unsure if this was a mere ploy designed to drop his own guard. "Ranma, my boy, are you happy?"

He blinked, unsure how to reply. "Happy? Like right now?"

Sitting down, the ancient martial artist shook his head even as he pulled out some tobacco for his pipe. Ranma eyed the pipe curiously. He'd been on the receiving end of it far too often. "I know that you're enjoying our fight, but aside from the fight, can you honestly say that you're happy with things as they are in Nerima?"

"No," he found himself saying. "Happy wouldn't be the best word to describe things."

A sagely nod was his only reply as Happosai took a deep breath. "Do you want to stay in Nerima?"

Again he found himself answering without any thought, "I don't think so, at least, I think I shouldn't be here right now."

"You feel as though you need to go on a training trip or is it something else?" inquired the old master.

The young martial artist paused, trying to put words to his emotions and thoughts. "I can't go."

"What's holding you back?" Happosai asked. "Is it your honor? How can you believe that your honor is at stake when it was your father who ensnared you into so many engagements? Who is he to judge your honor? Your mother has already judged you as manly despite your curse – she understands that you did what you needed to in order to save the woman you care for."

Happosai gazed at him with wise old eyes, "I created this school because I did not want anyone to tell me what I could and could not do. Your father and Soun became masters when they managed to seal me away, even if I did managed to free myself, they were able enjoy their freedom for a little while."

"You're saying that for me to become a master, I have to leave?" he asked skeptically.

"You have to be your own boss," Happosai reiterated. "Don't let others decide the course of your life for you."

For a moment he considered the old man's words. The moment was all that the old trickster needed to complete the ritual as he dumped the ashes of his pipe onto the ground. The still burning ash ignited something, burning a circle around Ranma even as he realized the extent of the trap. "Ranma, my boy, I hope you enjoy where ever it is you end up! Consider this your gift for achieving the title of Master."

"I'm gonna return!" Ranma promised as he eyed the pattern of flames that encased him.

"I know," the other martial artist replied. "But remember, I couldn't send you away unless you actually wanted to leave!"

Ranma couldn't deny that truth – the flames that had burned around him were nothing compared to the flames that Saffron had created. "I'll see you when I get back."

Suddenly the flames rose around him, blinding him with their light. The flames gave off an odd energy as the spell was triggered. Instinctively he closed his eyes only to feel as though the floor beneath him had given way and he was falling. Opening his eyes he felt a wave of nausea as his body reoriented itself.

Where it had been a warm, sunny afternoon when he'd closed his eyes, but now that his eyes were open the world was cool and misty. He could still feel the odd energy from the spell, though it felt twisted.

He was in the midst of a forest. Some of the trees were similar to those he'd find in any forest in Japan, but they seemed to grow larger and perhaps older than the ones he usually encountered. After less than an hour of exploring this new world it became clear that he was on an island in the midst of a chain of islands.

As the sun set in what he hoped was the western horizon, Ranma had finally reached an inhabited island. He was not so much on an island as he was on a marsh where many thick and tall trees towered over him.

Leaping from tree to tree was the preferred method of travel as the young martial artist chose to forgo dealing with the muck and mud. He was in mid-air when he heard several blades cutting through the air. Unable to shift his course, he opted to flick some nuts at the array of throwing stars, throwing knives, and needles, knocking a few into others so that he could pass by unhindered. He landed on the next branch and came to a stop, allowing the masked figure to land on the branch that he would have leapt to next.

"Who are you?" While it was Japanese it was closer to the Sendai accent then the Tokyo accent that Ranma had become used to hearing. The speaker's soft voice suggested either a girl or a young boy who had yet to hit puberty, reminding him Konatsu.

"Isn't it impolite to demand a name when not giving one yourself?" he asked. He could sense two others in the trees behind him.

"You can call me Wave," the masked figure stated. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I am Ranma Saotome," he replied, "and I am just passing through."

"He's lying," a muffled voice stated from behind him. "His accent suggests that he's not from around here."

"He's probably a hunter-nin," the other hidden figure concluded.

"I'm not a ninja," he corrected, "just one of the best martial artists in the world."

The next volley of throwing stars and kunai were meant to get him into the air, which Ranma obliged. Most would have fallen victim to the pair of masked ninja and their barbed chain but most were not Ranma Saotome. With minimal effort he twisted around their chain, narrowly avoiding being snagged on the barbs, before delivering a kick to one and a punch to the other then landing on a branch above the first of the trio.

"Not a ninja but you manage to disable two chunin in the span of a few seconds," Wave stated.

"I'm one of the Best Martial Artists in the World," he reiterated. "And if you come at me with the intent to kill again, I'm going to do more than just knock you around."

He wondered if Wave's wore the mask to, well, mask any sign of emotions or if Wave was ugly as the ninja seemed to be rather cold while considering Ranma's warning.

"Taki, Suijin – go to the Master and tell him of our guest, I would have him make the final decision," Wave finally said. The pair of masked ninja scrambled to their feet before setting off in opposite directions.

"So, where am I exactly?" he finally asked once he no longer sensed the pair.

"You are in Wave Country."

"Huh, so you're named after a country?"

"It is a title, not my name."

"So there are titles like 'Stream', 'River', 'Raindrop'?" Wave's mask prevented him from seeing if the ninja was actually glaring at him. "So where is Wave Country exactly?"

"This is the disputed territory between the Water Country and Fire Country," Wave explained.

"No lord holds dominion in this land," a new voice stated.

Ranma turned to face the speaker. A well muscled man wielding a large sword stood menacingly on a nearby branch, the two ninja that had been sent to fetch him flanking him on lower branches. "Let me guess – since no lord rules here you guys have set up shop in Wave Country?"

"Yeah," shirtless replied.

"But what do you guys do for money?" Ranma asked. "Sure, you could always make a living off of killing the local wildlife and selling it, but that's not what ninja do."

"You're here looking to hire us?"

Not the conclusion that he'd have jumped too, but he ran with it, "Actually I'm looking for work myself. I'm a martial artist – a damn good one – and I think you could use my help."

That the pair of ninja that he'd tossed aside were keeping their mouth shut hinted at how much higher the shirtless ninja was in their pecking order.

"We're ninja," shirtless reiterated. "We don't just do the common crappy jobs that other ninja do. We take the hard jobs."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that," Ranma interjected. "But can your boys actually hold their own if and when they encounter someone smart enough to hire some muscle? They don't hold a candle to me."

In a flash shirtless was on him, his giant sword cutting through the air. As quickly as it had begun it was over as Ranma held the sword in check, his left hand in the head-sized hole in the blade, "Too slow."

For a second the branch quivered as the pair struggled to control the blade.

"You're pretty strong," shirtless remarked even as he began to do something with his left hand.

A spark of that strange energy turned the muddy brown water of the marsh into an angry dragon. The beast rose, it's mouth opening as if to bite the martial artist.

"That's a neat trick," Ranma replied as he released the blade and sprang to a higher branch, "but I'd rather not get wet right now." His confidence still high, he countered with bright blue ball of ki. That it was far larger heavier than anything he'd managed back in Nerima was only a slight surprise to him. That the water dragon that his opponent had conjured fell apart as soon as the two collided was surprising to all of them, and then there was the blinding flash and small crater that created a small whirlpool as water rushed in to fill the area.

"How did you do that?" Wave asked as shirtless landed on another branch.

With minimal effort Ranma created another sphere of shining ki. "This?"

Shirtless nodded.

"How about we make a deal first."

"I'm listening."

"You need more fighters while I need someone to help me get the lay of the land," the cursed martial artist offered.

* * *

Despite Zabuza and Wave's skills, it was clear that the group had seen better days. While no one dared to divulge exact figures, it was clear that his group had once been larger than the five ninja that currently remained. The Demon Brothers had once been a trio but were making do as a duo. They were supposedly chuunin level which meant that they were capable and experienced, but only good for mid-tier jobs such as protecting lesser merchants or quick assassinations. Wave, or Haku, and Zabuza were both considered jounin level which meant they were a rank above the Demon Brothers and were capable of assassinating VIPs and even other ninja. Then there was the last of the group, Homura. She was the only kunoichi of the group, and the second youngest. The girl was genin rank, the least experienced, often tasked with the simple jobs of gathering or relaying information. While she was a more capable fighter than the Demon Brothers combined, she had the unfortunate luck of being a fire jutsu user living in a water jutsu village. With no-one able to teach her how to use her elemental jutsu she had been forced to train heavily in combat until leaving said village with Zabuza.

"I guess you must be happy to finally get out," Ranma finally said as he shot the girl a glance.

Her keen green eyes landed on him for just a moment before returning to the forest before them. Though she was perhaps no older than he, she was more developed than his female form and was just as tall as his male form. Her dark brown hair was tied back into a high ponytail and matched the dusky brown cotton top and skirt. She carried seven blades – six katana and a nodachi – on her back.

Aside from giving him an amused look when he'd revealed his curse to the group, she'd said nothing. For the entire boat ride to Negi Island she'd said nothing. Having spent much of the morning on a boat he was now in his female form.

Shaking his head, he took her silence in stride just as she took his curse in stride. The job was simple – clean out a den of bandits that had taken to harassing the local merchants on Negi Island.

Most of requests from Negi Island went to Zabuza's old village – Hidden Mist Village – but he'd made a point of poaching as many jobs from them as possible. While the economic effect was marginal at best, Zabuza made a point of doing anything and anything possible to weaken the current regime aside from openly attacking any Mist ninja that they encountered.

"Are you sure you'll be up to this task?" the balding merchant asked the two kunoichi as prepared they to depart the docks.

Ranma glanced at Homura. "We'll be fine." He understood the man's concern. Not only was a two person team being fielded, but one of them appeared to carry no weapons. Each of the ninja that Ranma had encountered thus far carried weapons of some sort be it a holster of kunai or needles, the Demon Brothers' bladed gauntlets and grieves, or Zubuza's giant sword.

"If you learned to henge you could turn back into a guy at will," Homura stated.

The sound of her voice was so alien to him that Ranma actually paused to look at her. "I can henge," he finally replied as he resumed walking beside her, "it's just that when I revert back I tend to turn into the appropriate form."

Now it was her turn to glance at him inquisitively.

"Say I henge into my male form – if I get splashed I won't turn into me female form because my true form at the moment is my female form. If I turn into a giant sword as a guy, get splashed with cold water, then release the henge I'm a girl. The henge isn't permanent unlike the curse."

She nodded slowly as she processed this bit of information. "What's with your lame water clones?"

He sighed, "Depending on the temperature of the water, they either appear as a girl or guy, usually as a girl unless I can ensure that the water is hot." It'd taken him a day to wrap his head around the water clone technique. While cool, they lacked the durability of everyone else's water clones because he was using ki instead of charka. While powerful, ki wasn't designed for fine-tuned techniques and, well, deception. Ki was very straightforward. Just a little bit allowed him to run faster, jump higher, take more punishment, and regenerate quicker than the handful of ninja in Zabuza's camp. At least his clones had substance and could distract as they were intended to.

"You want me to create some clones," he finally said as he made the connection. Two individuals traveling down the road might not be worth the bandits' attention, not when one of them was obviously a ninja, but a group protected by a ninja might be worth the bandits' time, especially when that group was filled with lovely young girls.

He created three clones of himself, each wearing a light hooded cloak/cape. In a matter of minutes the ambient sounds of the forest was replaced with an eerie silence. He knew that they were surrounded.

Fortunately Zabuza had seen fit to instruct him in the group's silent communication. While some opted for hand signs, the rogue felt that such communication was too obvious, especially for the usually keen eyed ninja. Instead the group had developed their own means of communicating via slight twitches of isolated muscles. 'Most wins.'

Homura's green eyes gave him an appraising look before she gave him a slight nod of ascent.

The whistle of arrows broke the silence. With deft skill Homura unsheathed the six katana on her back – three per hand – swatting aside the arrows in a blur of motion.

Ranma had opted to simply leave an after image to take the arrows aimed at him while rushing at the closest group of archers. Over a dozen figures emerged from the brush, most rushing at Homura though six broke off in an attempt to break off and "capture" the girls that the ninja escorted. Before they could even approach the girls Ranma had already found the archers. Quick strikes incapacitated them.

As quickly as things had started they had ended. Even as he finished tying up the archers his clones had managed to incapacitate the other bandits even as Homura finished cutting down the rest with her wicked katanas.

"I counted a score including the archers," he announced once she had cleaned the blood off her blades. "That's twelve to eight."

"Mine are kills," she replied as she began sheathing her blades.

"We're going to need Intel and we can't get that from hacked up bodies," he countered. It was like looking at the aftermath of a gore-porn scene – blood and body parts everywhere. The martial artist repressed a shudder. "I doubt that this is all of the bandits. Besides, we'll need them to pick up their buddies' bits."

"Just leave them to the scavengers," she replied. "We can take the heads back as proof of the kills."

"That's why you left the heads intact."

She nodded before breaking out a scroll. Methodically she sealed each head in the scroll, making sure to not to let their blood drip on the scroll.

Ranma did not relish the fact that he needed to kill them, especially as it would essentially be cold blooded executions. Once he was sure that they were awake, he untied the strongest of the group. Tossing him a blade he nodded at the man, "Kill me and you get to live – I won't even use any jutsu."

Homura sighed. 'You're wasting time,' her muscles twitched though she did not move to intervene.

Slowly and methodically, he killed each bandit until one of them broke. The bald archer did not plead for his life, though he did promise the pair of ninja a slow, grizzle death once they arrived at the bandit's base.

He could feel Homura's eyes on him as he executed the rest of the bandits. Though he could feel his stomach turning, he and the bandits knew that when they took up that life they had doomed themselves.

With the next holdfast a half day's walk away and two days walk from the bandit's base, the pair of opted to head directly for the base. He knew that they could have made it to the base had they run, but Ranma opted for the more cautious approach. From what the bandits had let slip the base was home to another two score of bandits. While even those numbers were not enough to overcome the combined skill of the two rogues, Ranma couldn't help but think that somewhere the math was off.

Making camp a day's walk (or a few hours running) from the base the pair opted to forego making a campfire. Settling into a cave the pair ate their rations in silence.

"Do we settle up now or wait until we complete the job?" she asked.

"After," he replied, "there still two score or more of those losers to deal with – if you're lucky your wide sweeping attacks might actually let you get more kills than me."

"Or you just won't be able to stomach killing more of them," she remarked.

He shrugged, "I'll take the first watch."

She nodded. Sitting beside him, she drew up her cloak around her so as to keep the chill of the night at bay.

Ranma kept his mind busy even, sorting through the information that they had gathered from the bandits and from the employer. Had Zabuza not put him in charge of the job things would have gone differently. The kunoichi wanted to end the mission as quickly as possible and had advised to attack the bandit's camp this very night. The darkness provided the stealthy ninja with many opportunities to sneak into the bandit's camp but Ranma had opted to take a more cautious approach.

Given the geography bandits did not make sense. Negi Island was one of the smaller islands with only two villages on opposite ends of the island. A volcano stood at the center of the tiny island though it was currently dormant volcano still spewed ash and steam from its side, but the mouth of the volcano had long been filled by the nearly daily rainstorms. The volcano had been an excellent source of rich soils for the hardy fruit plants that grew only on the isle. Only hares, raccoons, feral cats and dogs, and the native birds were left on the small isle aside from the few domesticated animals. The isle only traded in fruits, so why were there so many bandits?

Caution had been the wise choice. There were still too many unknowns about this job.

In the morning the pair set off at a light run, stopping only when they had reached the top of the volcano. Perched on the shore of the lake was the bandit's camp. The area around the camp had been cleared of all trees so that meager buildings could be erected. There were no boats or even docks on the lake and there was but one path down to the camp. Several campfires still smoldered, sending thin wisps of smoke into the rainy sky.

"We didn't even need your captives to find their camp," Homura stated.

"We hit them hard and fast."

The kunoichi nodded.

In a flash the pair closed crossed the rocky slope. She was faster than his male body but no significantly slower than his female form. Giving her a slight headstart he watched as she took off running with her arms spread wide, three katana per hand, her short skirt flapping to reveal her bare behind.

Ranma blinked, realizing that his partner had been going commando the entire time.

A guard tried to sound an alarm but was cut short by a well thrown kunai from Ranma. The next closest bandit let out a cry of alarm just as Homura cut him down.

Ranma let Homura engage the bandits even as he moved further into their camp. As he fought he took note of the fact that most of the bandits wore armor. That odd feeling in the pit of his stomach nagged at him as he fought his way through to the center of the camp. Armored or not, the powerful punches and kicks he delivered sent the bandits flying. Even as he fought he gathered the weapons and valuables from the defeated.

Something was not right. Someone was watching them.

He had seven confirmed kills and twice that number incapacitated with broken legs, but the bandits' numbers were far over the two score that they had been lead to believe were here.

"They're wearing mesh armor over leather armor beneath their clothes," Homura stated as she kicked a decapitated body aside.

"Yeah, I noticed that," he replied. "It's just enough that it hampers your katana but not my punches and kicks." Left unsaid was that they'd walked into a trap. Had it just been Homura she'd have likely been overwhelmed.

Arming himself with two of the more balanced swords he charged the largest group. Unlike his partner who favored wide, sweeping attacks his were targeted and precise – severing limbs and heads where there was either no armor or where the bandits' armor was weakest. Cornered, the remaining bandits fought with a fierce savagery against his lethal combination of speed and skill. Weaving through them like a leaf on the wind he left a shower of crimson in his wake.

Shaking his head, he dismissed the vision of how the fight would go. Yes, he could overwhelm the bandits, but there were too many other things to consider. The usual shock and awe attack was unlikely to work as the bandits had nowhere to run, and then there were the hidden watchers. Whoever they were they had opted to avoid the fighting, letting the bandits stand as a human wall.

With a sigh, Ranma watched as Homura assaulted the largest group of bandits. Unlike her previous attacks, the kunoichi was using her fiery chakra, running it through the blades in her hands. While the bandits' armor prevented her katanas from cutting through them the flames burned anything that the blades cut into. Flaming bodies flew, panicking the remaining bandits, allowing Ranma an opportunity to strike. Even in his female form Ranma was strong enough to dish out punishing and even lethal blows. Blunt-force trauma was much more effective against the soft armor but left the bandits with slow, agonizing deaths.

Instinct saved him as he found himself leaping back instead of striking a killing blow on a bandit. He watched as chakra hardened water pierced the man as well as those around him.

"You are good," a voice stated.

Suddenly the remaining bandits let out startled cries as they were assaulted by needles of piercing water. The ground was red with the bandits' blood as Ranma and Homura found themselves boxed in by four masked ninja.

Teardrop, the one who had spoke, was slightly to his right while Whirlpool stood to his left.

"Shit!" Homura exclaimed.

"Let me guess, hunter nin?" he ventured.

"We have business with Homura Uzumaki," Teardrop stated. "You may leave if you do not interfere with our business."

"I can't do that," Ranma replied.

Whirlpool vanished, not even giving Ranma a second opportunity to reconsider. As quick as Whirlpool was, Ranma had faced faster and knew how to deal with the rare opponent that was faster than either of his forms. Though his swift kick appeared to fall short as Whirlpool expertly pulled back, the veteran ninja had never fought someone like Ranma. The vacuum blade cut through the hunter nin's armor and deep into his chest, crumpling him to the ground.

Behind him Homura had already leapt to engage the other hunter nin.

Several more vacuum blades forced Teardrop on the defensive. "Looks like you've got the 5 D's of dodgeball down." These ninja were stone cold killers, but Ranma Saotome was a master at taunting. "Dodge – nice. Duck – bit slow on that one. Dip – yep, you got that one. Dive – maybe you're not as good at that. Dodge – ouch, a bit slow on that one." The last set of vacuum blades cut into Teardrop's leg. Were it not for the rain giving away the position of the blades the ninja would have been short a limb.

A ball of water formed in Teardrop's hand before dispersing into the rain. Only a sharp eye could track the beads of water as they sped towards their target lost as they were in the hundreds of rain drops.

Even as he dodged Ranma unleashed a barrage of vacuum blades. Meticulously he made his way towards Whirlpool's still crumpled form. "Let me guess," he sighed, feigning boredom at their fight, "you guys are the ones behind the bandits, correct? I was wondering why the island had so many bandits when the population was so small, especially when they only produce fruits from their orchards. You guys hoped to draw out Homura but you didn't expect her to bring a friend, that's why you offered to let me go."

Ranma shook his head, "Four hunter nin, hoping to wear her out by throwing a horde of well armed and trained 'bandits'. That's why they're wearing the wire-mesh mail over their leather armor – to counter her katanas. And the rain helps dampen the effectiveness of her fire jutsu, but just in case you guys have a lake to use as well."

"You talk too much," Teardrop stated as he strained to match Ranma's vacuum blades with the rain needles.

Pulling out one of the many swords that he had picked up, Ranma threw it at Teardrop. With the ninja's focus on the vacuum blades and the sword, he could do nothing as Ranma relieved Whirlpool of all weapons. Like any good ninja the hunter nin had stored his weapons in a scroll. Scrolls had been the first thing Ranma had learned to use since coming to this world. They were similar to the hidden space technique that Mousse favored, but much more organized. Whirlpool was definitely dead. Pulling out a furoshiki he used it to temporarily shield and hide from Teardrop. In an instant he sealed away Whirlpool's and created a water clone wearing Whirlpool's clothes. With a twirl he redirected the barrage of water needles at Teardrop before dashing off to aid Homura.

Ranma knew that the hunter nin was trying to draw him away from Homura, even as his comrades were trying to draw her towards the lake. He only succeeded in closing half the distance before having to dodge another attack from Teardrop, this one a wolf made of water. Still, he had managed to throw several swords at the remaining hunter nin – Pool and Puddle – to keep them from closing in with Homura. It was enough to draw Teardrop within reach of his water clone. Caught off guard, Teardrop could only gasp in surprise as the water clone stabbing him in the same leg that Ranma had injured. With only one functional leg Teardrop failed to avoid the real Ranma as the martial artist dashed in to claim the ninja's life.

He could tell that Homura was exhausted. She'd spent a significant portion of her chakra defeating the mob of bandits but against two veteran hunting nin she had barely managed to avoid their attacks even with some aid from Ranma. Though the pair were focused on her, they broke off immediately as they noticed that the other hunter nin had been killed. Like Whirlpool and Teardrop, Pool and Puddle worked in tandem – one engaging in close combat and the other aiding from a distance.

Pool ran through a series of hand signs as he molded his chakra and took aim at Ranma. Ranma's danger sense barely flared as the hunter nin's jutsu washed over him then dispelled. "Let me guess – genjutsu?"

Before the ninja could do anything Ranma was on him, unleasing a barrage of swift punches. Unfortunately his punches only connected with water as the skilled hunter nin had somehow switched places with a water clone. Still, he had an idea of where the Pool was. With one hand he channeled ki into his open palm, slammed it into the water and sent a ball of ki enhanced water towards his hidden target. The attack was not meant to harm, only to disrupt the ninja's attempts at another jutsu at Homura. Unable to do so Pool found himself on the wrong end of the kunoichi's blades.

Though exhausted, Homura had managed to not only fend off her assailants until he had evened the odds. She was not unscathed as the remnants of her clothes and the wounds she bore indicated that she had suffered several injuries in the short time. "Seal the heads."

* * *

"And that's all that happened?"

Ranma nodded in reply. The mission debriefing was something that happened after every job/mission.

Zabuza shook his head though the usually chipper Haku flattened slightly. "There's a smith nearby that we use – you can trade in or sell the weapons you acquired. You'll be lead, but Homura knows the place."

The cursed martial artist was half-way up to his own hut before Haku caught up to him. While the ninja opted to use chakra to adhere to the side of the trees, Ranma opted to use just his toes.

"Saotome"

"Just call me Ranma," the martial artist corrected.

"Ranma," the boy said "you made a bet with Homura, did you not?"

"Yeah."

"What was the result?"

"Well, we never declared the value of the hunter nin, but even without them I was up 38-22."

"Did you ever collect on your win?"

Ranma paused, "No, why?"

Haku shook his head. "We may not be like most ninja, but we are a prideful lot. While Homura may not have known the full extent of your ability, she agreed to the contest. For you to win and not collect…"

"I don't want her katana or her nodachi," Ranma interjected. "I know how to use them but she needs them more than I do. I ain't gonna wear her clothes and I don't wear armor.

Again Haku shook his head. "In the ninja villages, anyone who carries one of these" he indicated his forehead protector "is considered an adult. While most are still too young to drink, they do enjoy the other rights of an adult."

Ranma shrugged, "Okay…."

"The average ninja does not live to see twenty," Haku explained. "What else do teenagers do for fun in your world?"

He was drawing a blank and from the look in Haku's eyes it was clear that the ninja knew that being subtle was not going to work.

"Sex," Haku whispered. "If you don't take one of her swords, at least have the decency to use your sword on her."

Had he been using the ninja method of sticking to the side of the tree he would have lost his footing.

"You're supposed to be 'A Man amongst Men', are you not?" the young ninja asked.

His message delivered, Haku vanished, leaving Ranma to ponder his course of action.

"Homura," he said as he reached her hut.

"Saotome," he could hear the pain in her voice. She'd gone much of their first mission saying nothing to him and the return had been even worse. He'd taken it as she was contemplating her life after nearly being killed on the job, but Haku had straightened him out.

"The mission's not over until we sell the weapons and armor that we brought back," he stated. "Once we're paid, I'll collect my winnings."

* * *

After nearly two months of partnering with Homura it had become abundantly clear that Homura was more proficient at fighting and killing large groups of enemies. Her deadly style took advantage of mobs, turning them into bloody fountains. Ranma could only match her kill totals when their enemies had been spread apart or there were only small groups. He'd lost to her on several missions and while Homura enjoyed his male form, she also knew how to make him enjoy his female body as well.

It was reserved for when they were off mission but was not always tied to one of them winning a bet. He quickly learned that sex was but one of the tools of a ninja, particularly a kunoichi. He'd been her back up when she had gone on to assassinate a ship's captain who was smuggling slaves. The pair had posed as slaves, but she had caught his eye and been brought to his cabin. Homura had said little of the job, only that it had been done. After the mission she'd used him then gone on to hook up with both of the Demon Brothers before they departed for their mission.

"You're still sulking," Haku stated as the martial artist entered the group's main building.

"I told you guys I won't take assassination jobs, even as back up," the cursed youth replied. Assassinations were the highest paid jobs for small teams of ninja and the time needed usually depended on how far away the target in question was. "I don't want other people telling me who to kill just because they have the money to pay to have that person killed."

"Even if that person hired ninja to protect him?" The pair had just returned, though from the looks of Zabuza it was clear that they had not been successful.

"Still not sure that the guy deserves to be killed," Ranma shrugged. "Who'd you run into?"

"Kakashi – the Copy Cat Ninja," Haku replied as he tossed Ranma his bingo book.

Ranma quickly paged through it until he found the ninja in question, "Why the hell do the ninja villages share this kind of stuff?"

"It's one of the reasons why Master Zabuza wanted to overthrow the current Mizukage – Kirigakure and many of the weaker ninja villages was forced to share their information with the other major ninja villages following the end of the 3rd Ninja War."

"At least they're not sharing information on techniques," Ranma sighed as he threw the book back to Haku.

"Ranma," Zabuza managed to say, "I want you to scout out Kakashi and his team."

* * *

A/N

Just testing the waters. I've got an idea for this fic, I've actually had it for a while but finally managed to get a bit out.

Don't expect uber-powerful techniques. I think that Naruto got too invested in power levels rather than interesting techniques, which is why Boruto sucks because you've still got a bunch of super powerful ninja around but now they're nerfed.

Dreamingfox


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes –

This is a work of Fanfiction. I do not own the rights to Ranma ½, Naruto, or Senran Kagura.

Ranma using ki like ninja using chakra, well, both use it to enhance themselves physically, and both can manifest said energy physically. If you've seen the second (?) Ranma movie then you see him infusing ki into the water that he uses to attack during the final fight. How else is water going to hit the kid with the same force and effect as one of Ranma's punches?

* * *

Dreary fog and constant rain showers kept Ranma Saotome in his female form as he made his way through the unclaimed lands known as the Land of Waves. If the lands were a description of the terrain, weather, or special features that he could expect then he'd need to go to the Land of Hot Springs once he was done with the Land of Waves.

Spotting an unusually bright blond haired boy passed out in the woods was uncommon, that the boy was wearing an even brighter orange outfit and the forehead protector of a Leaf ninja was no surprise as Haku had briefly described Zabuza's battle with the team of ninja from the Leaf village. No stranger to training until he passed out from exhaustion, Ranma couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy and respect for the kid. He was the one who had come up with the plan that had freed his jonin sensei from Zabuza's carefully laid out trap.

Even with his horrendous jacket, the kid was likely to freeze in the damp weather. The kid was a year or two younger than Haku, but he was underdeveloped. Having traveled through, well, two worlds now, Ranma had seen many malnourished kids. "Hey kid, wake up."

"Hnn?" the blond replied sleepily. "Who are you?"

"Isn't it rude for a guy to ask a girl her name without giving his first?" Ranma teased as he resorted to playing the role of a girl.

"Sorry," the boy replied as he opened his bright blue eyes. "I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Ranma, Ranma Saotome," he replied. "So Naruto Uzumaki, what's a kid like you doing alone and in the woods?"

"I'm not a kid," Naruto protested, "and I'm out here training because I'm going to be the greatest ninja ever!"

"You, a ninja?" he looked at the boy skeptically. "Dressed like that?"

"What's wrong with the way I dress?"

"Nothing if you're trying to blind your opponents. But don't ninja do, like, sneaky stuff like hide and misdirection? You're not going to hide from anyone but the blind with that outfit. You don't even blend into a crowd of people with that outfit."

"It's not that bad!"

"Oh, so you must be the guy on your team that's supposed to draw the attention of the enemy squads while your teammates set up traps? You know - the bait or distraction for the team?"

"No way! My teammates would never do that!" exclaimed the kid ninja. "We're a team – ninja who don't look out for their teammates are trash and we're not a trashy team!"

'How did Zabuza lose to these guys?' Ranma smirked, realizing how excitable the kid was. With little prodding he was able to get the kid to spill all that he knew about his team willingly. Ninja were supposed to be sneaky, if not clever – this kid was anything but. He was way too trusting and he could not be discreet if his life depended on it.

Ranma watched as Naruto practiced running up the side of the tree. It was supposed to be a way to practice chakra control by using just the right amount of chakra to adhere to the tree. The higher up the tree the better his chakra control. Progress was marked with a kunai cut in the hard bark of the trees.

"Naruto!" a voice called out. "Where are you?"

The ninja in question sighed, "That's my teammate – stupid Sasuke."

The pigtailed girl chuckled. Ranma knew about rivals and rivalries, though he was usually on the other end of it as his rivals were chasing after him or were learning new techniques to best him. "He's the best in your class?"

"Yeah," Naruto grumbled.

The raven haired boy was slightly taller than Naruto though he too had yet to hit puberty. "What are you doing?" the boy demanded of his teammate only to stop once he spotted Ranma.

"Hey, you must be Naruto's rival," Ranma teased, seeing the other boy scowl at the insinuation.

"Who are you?" asked the blonde's rival.

"Ranma Saotome," answered the redhead. "I'm just a girl passing through, though I have to wonder why you ninja are off training on your own instead of as a team? Aren't you guys supposed to be working and training as a team?"

"Well, Kakashi-sensei is"

"busy," Sasuke interjected, glaring at Naruto to silence him.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "He's busy guarding our client."

Ranma could see just the slightest of grimaces from Sasuke. "Well, I'm sure you ninja have more training to do, so I'll just excuse myself. Maybe I'll see you guys in town."

He could still hear the two ninja, though couldn't make out their exact words as he left. Clearly Sasuke wasn't happy with the information that Naruto had divulged and was trying to find out how much the blond had shared.

The bridge was build high off the water to keep it out of the fog, making it easier for the villagers and travelers, though there were some days when the mist still enveloped the bridge and village. Any expectations that he'd had of the town that had sprung up on the bridge were quickly undone as the reality set in. What had once been a small fishing village had slowly located itself on the immense bridge. Unfortunately the wooden huts lacked the durability and engineering of the bridge, and hordes of lethargic adults lay about. Few had enough line or rope to fish from the bridge, though a dock and pier had been added to the support closest to the bridge where anyone could fish and dock their boats. Unfortunately there appeared to be a crowd of ruffians comprised of former samurai making trouble with any who dared use the pier and docks.

It did not take long for him in his female body to discover the truth of the situation. Gato didn't want the bridge to be completed because it was a direct threat to his shipping business. His hired goons had tried to break the spirit of the villagers but a few diehards remained, moving along with the construction even as the rest of the village slowly languished. It seemed that Gato had even threatened other villages to prevent them from doing business with the village on the bridge and hired bandits to harass the fishermen so that the locals couldn't feed themselves. The ruffians on the pier and docks were likely under Gato's employ.

Never one to allow injustice, Ranma immediately sought to right the wrong. Calmly he descended the stairs down to the dock. Today was one of the few days without any fog or mist in the air allowing those on the bridge see down to the river below. In his bright red shirt that seemed to match his female form's red hair, Ranma stood out like a flame in the darkness. Dozens of eyes followed his descent.

"Hey honey, are you looking for a good time," one of the brutish ruffians said as he approached for a better look.

"Nah, none of you are worth my time," Ranma replied. There were only five of them, more than enough to scare off the starved villagers, but not nearly enough to deal with a skilled martial artist. "I'm here to fish."

"She's a looker," a second man muttered. "Let's have some fun."

"Yeah, let's teach her a lesson."

"She looks like she could sell for a few thousand."

They towered over his female form, three of them wielding swords and the remaining two with spears. He did not have to wait long for one of them to make a move as the closest of the brutes reached out to grope him. Ranma responded with a playful slap that sent the man over the side of the dock and into the fast water.

"Hiro!" one of the bandits shouted.

The others ignored their comrade's plight, their hands instead reaching for their weapons.

Grabbing the belt of the next closest to him, Ranma pulled hard, throwing the man into the river even as he kept hold of the belt and the weapon that was still sheathed. The next was a spear welder whose slashing attack led into a series of thrusts that Ranma nimbly floated over before kicking him in the face and sending him and the other spear wielder into the water. The remaining pair stood before him, one with twin wakazashi, the other with a katana. While their quick-draw attacks were stopped short by Ranma hitting one of them with the sheath from his captured blade and lashing the belt around the other's arms, preventing him from drawing his blades. In a flash he had robbed the pair blind, stripping them of their clothes before kicking them into the river.

With two katana, two wakizashi and a spear as well as two hefty wallets, Ranma checked the weapons. The katanas were sturdy but clearly mass produced as they were of equal length and weight though the hilts and scabbards had been personalized by their former owners, while the wakizashi were truly twin blades. The spear was not a traditional yari but more of a forked tip with a long main blade with a shorter guard blade and a third blade that was perpendicular to the other blades.

Sheathing the blades, he took the spear and began to spear some fish. The forked blades easily pierced the scales of the local fish though the blades were far too keen as they cut through the fish rather than hooking them. After a few minutes of tinkering Ranma pulled out a string and a hook, baiting it with the ruffians food, he threw the line into the water. It did not take him long to fill up a shirt with the fish he captured.

He was able to eat the first fish in relative quiet, but as the second and third finished cooking he could see that several villagers had begun to descend the stairs. With the rogue samurai no longer around to harass them the villagers began to cautiously reclaim the docks and piers. The smell of the fish and the warmth of the fire were too alluring to the humbled villagers. Taking the second fish he handed it to a small child. The third he handed to an old woman. Both thanked him before devouring the meager meal.

Ranma began to cook more of the fish, drawing more and more people to his fire. He turned to find the villagers looking at him, a mixture of awe and fear at his actions. "If anyone of their friends come looking for me, just point them my way," Ranma stated as he examined the blades again. The wakizashi were nice, but far shorter than he'd prefer. The rogue samurai were clearly under Gato's employ – how else were such unskilled samurai able to afford such fine blades? Taking out the wallets that he'd lifted from the last of the samurai, Ranma spread the wealth amongst the gathered villagers. He wasn't sure how much the money was actually worth, but he knew that it was significant.

A sinking feeling in the bottom of his stomach formed. It did not go way despite all that he ate or how many people that he helped feed.

By the end of his second day the villagers had begun to talk with him, some even going so far as to show him how to dry the damp wood by the fire or how to cook the fish inside the leaves of the trees. By the end of his third day the Leaf ninja had stopped by. Naruto was absent, but Sasuke and the jonin Kakashi were clearly skeptical of him. Sakura, the lone kunoichi of the team was skeptical for a different reason.

From the way Naruto had spoke of her he'd imagined a beautiful kunoichi like a cleaned up Homura, not a flat-chested tomboy. Then again, maybe Naruto had a type…

Still, as a young woman she had clearly thought of herself as the cream of the crop once she'd arrived in the little bridge village, but it soon became evident that she was such a distant second that no one thought it a competition when Ranma was around. Hell, even Haku had more feminine wiles than the pinkette.

For the Leaf ninja, teams and teammates were viewed vastly different than what Ranma had experienced with the rogue ninja that he'd joined up with, at least according to Naruto and Kakashi.

The concrete bridge absorbed the little light that shone through the clouds, chasing away the fog but on rainy mornings or especially cold days the mist lingered until well after sunrise. The chill in the air was unusually cold. Had he needed to, Ranma was certain that he'd find chunks of ice in the river helping to add a chill to the air this morning.

"Do you really think your team's up for this kind of mission," Ranma asked as he eyed Sakura. Naruto had completed his training but was exhausted, Sasuke's chakra reserves were still recovering from the training, leaving Sakura as the only truly rested ninja in the squad. "You've got two genin on guard duty and recovering - shouldn't you at least provide her with more training to prepare for the ninja that you know are coming or are you too banged up from your last encounter with big sword guy?" He paraphrased it using Naruto's words so as to draw less suspicion but he knew that the veteran ninja didn't completely trust the buxom redhead. "I get that you're trying to rest her so that she's ready for them, but really, she's going to need a few more tricks up her sleeve. From what Naruto said she didn't really help in the last fight and it was he and Sasuke who worked together to free you."

His verbal assault was intended to test the ninja's temperament as the fact that Naruto had shared so much information voluntarily meant that the kid was a liability for the sneaky ninjas. As the squad's sensei/lead it was his responsibility to rein in his the rookies/subordinates. On the surface he appeared fairly nonchalant but it was clear to Ranma that the jounin was annoyed. He liked his situation less than Ranma did, and he was tasked with watching over and out for his team.

The bandits had taken to harassing the fishermen by cutting their lines or stealing their nets rather than venturing into the village or the construction site to harass the workers and villagers so as to avoid trouble with the voluptuous redhead and the squad of ninja. Ranma had kept the docks closest to the village clear, but he was sure that there were other ways to access the bridge further down.

"You should probably send your men home today," the redhead suggested as he felt the chill of the unusually thick mist. "It's too chilly for them to work effectively."

The old engineer eyed the redhead, unsure what to make of her. "But we're almost done – just a few more weeks."

"I don't think any work is going to get done today," Ranma reiterated as he tapped the hilt of one of his acquired katanas.

"What are you getting at?" the outspoken pinkette demanded as she moved to a protective stance.

"You're really going to do this?" a voice emerged from the mist.

Sasuke tensed then he began to tremble.

"You shouldn't have sent me here," the redhead replied.

To their credit, the Leaf ninja moved into position around their ward without any further instruction from Kakashi.

"I'm not going to let you kill the old man," Ranma stated.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" Zabusa asked. "Look at that boy, he's trembling in fear at just the sound of my voice."

"I'm not trembling in fear," Sasuke muttered, "I'm trembling in anticipation."

In a flash he was gone - the sound of metal blade clashing then the sound of a water clone being dispelled was all that they needed to hear to know that Sasuke had bested the clone.

"They've improved," Zabuza stated. "Unfortunately his chakra control can only go so far against an experienced opponent that's already amassed more kills than he has years. You should have show him some of your prized techniques, then he might actually stand a chance against my boy. I'm willing to bet that my kid kills your kids."

The sound of footsteps in the water and metal on metal told Ranma all he needed to know – Haku had engaged Sasuke and was leading him away from the construction site. Had Homura and the Demon Brothers returned from their job they would have been tasked with dealing with the genin, thus it was likely that only Haku and Zabuza were here. Having already failed on his first attempt, Zabuza would take a more cautious approach. He'd sent Ranma to gather information but had not expected the martial artist to defy him. For him to move now meant that Gato had grown impatient and not that the rogue ninja and his group were at full strength.

"I can't let you kill him," Ranma repeated. "It's not right."

"Right, wrong, justice – those words mean nothing to ninja," Zabusa spat out.

"Maybe," Ranma ceded, "but I'm not a ninja – I'm a martial artist."

He could feel the eyes of the ninja on him.

"A taijutsu specialist?" Sakura muttered, her mind still a few steps behind the conversation.

"You barely survived your first encounter with one-eye and his squad," Ranma rationalized. "Do you really think you'll be able to get to the old guy with me backing up the Leaf ninja?"

Under the cover of the thick fog, Ranma created one of his unique clones before slipping away unobserved. His special clones were good for little but being a distraction.

"Come on," his clone said it addressed the Demon of the Mist, "I know you're just stalling."

"I knew that this day would come," Zabuza stated calmly. "I've prepared for it and even anticipated it even."

"You really think you stand a chance?"

"I think that if you can't see me you can't stop me from completing the hand seals for the jutsu I'm going to use. You do understand that by yapping your lips you've given away your position"

"Same to you," the redheaded clone replied. "I also know that you don't like to actually talk as you're doing your hand seals but when you do you tend to clench your jaw which affects how you annunciate. I guess you can't perform jutsu and talk at the same time."

'It's a clone,' Ranma surmised as he slipped past the Leaf ninja, created a second clone and transformed it to look like the engineer. In the blink of an eye his clone had replaced the real bridge-builder with his transformed clone without alerting the ninja.

"You can't hide from me!" The Zabuza clone struck. The watery copy of his Executioner's Blade was stopped by the plundered katana, the other katana came down quickly, pinning the larger sword down as it went through the unusual hole. Enforcing the blades with is ki, Ranma slashed down on the Executioner's Blade. His counter should have cut the blade had it been the original – instead it dispelled the copy. With a swift flick of his wrist he dispelled the clone with twin slashes from his pilfered weapons.

A sudden chill told him that Haku had resorted to his special technique, trapping the Uchiha in the dome of icy mirrors. That the younger ninja was able to force Haku to use this technique suggested that he had great potential.

Zabuza quickly leaped in again, this time though it was the real one as actual steel greeted Ranma's katanas. The deadly ninja pressed the advantages of his sword – reach and power – by employing broad sweeping attacks that targeted Ranma but forced him to avoid dodging else the blade would cut the bridge-builder in half.

He could feel the clone dispel as Zabuza finally breeched it's defenses. "You had me fooled," Zabuza stated. "You switched your blades with the clone's figuring that I'd know what real steel sounds like compared to a clone's weapons – clever."

"I thought you'd get a kick out of that one," Ranma said as he slipped in past Zabuza's guard and delivered a swift kick that sent the man flying past the two Leaf ninja.

"Haku – stop fucking around!" Left unsaid was that Zabuza needed help against Ranma. He'd managed to bypass the pair of Leaf ninja once, but it would be harder to do so a second time.

A new presence made himself known as Naruto finally joined the fray.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Sasuke shouted. "Why didn't you stay outside? Now we're both stuck in here!"

Were he not pressed by Zabuza, Ranma might have smirked. As it was he knew the limits of his female form and his clones, and he needed to hide the bridge-builder while keeping the man alive and safe. The fake bridge-builder had cloned himself in the thick mist, swapped swords with the first clone, and ultimately been defeated, allowing the first clone to slip in and connect with a powerful kick. Each of the clones that he had made were roughly a tenth of his normal strength, but the clone of his clone was half of a normal clone but also reduced the original down to half strength.

With Zabuza focused on Ranma, his control over the thickness of the fog began to wane, allowing visibility to go beyond an arm's length.

"No!" Naruto's grief barely pierced the mist. Had he been closer to the real Zabuza and the other Leaf ninja Ranma was sure that he wouldn't have heard the cry. "Sasuke!"

A sudden spike in killer intent nearly froze him. 'No, not just killer intent – pure malicious chakra,' he mentally corrected himself. 'Is that Naruto?'

"Sakura – stay with Mr. Tazuna!" Kakashi shouted his order even though he was a step or two away from her.

To everyone's surprise Zabusa moved to intercept the jounin, "I don't think so!" Blood flew through the air as the Executioner's Blade left a nasty cut on Kakashi's arm. "We'll leave the kids to kill each other – we've got business here."

Tossing the real Tazuna into an equipment locker, Ranma created another clone to guard him before moving to check on Haku and Naruto.

The further he moved away from Zabuza the thinner the fog.

A red blur chased after Haku, burning away the mist as it went. Whatever Haku had done, it had pissed off Naruto to the point where the hyperactive and bubbly kid was oozing murderous rage. Ranma could only watch as Naruto caught Haku by the wrist, forcibly turning the masked ninja around, and pulled him into a brutal right cross. From the way that Haku rolled away from the blow it was clear that the arm that had been captured was injured.

Gathering his ki, Ranma sent a ball of his chilly blue energy into the incarnation of rage and anger. The blast was enough to knock Naruto off his feet and gain his attention but seemed to have done little damage.

The blonde unleashed an inhuman snarl even as he leapt at Ranma. Powerful as the kid was, Ranma merely batted aside his punch even as he slipped further into his soul of ice. His first instinct was to complete the spiral, but Naruto was just oozing too much rage. "You're a ninja," the redhead stated calmly, "death is supposed to be a part of your everyday life. If you're going to get this way over a friend's death, how are you going to handle it as a jounin much less the Hokaga when you could be sending your subordinates to their death? How about when you have to tell their families that the ninja under your command won't be coming home?"

Naruto lashed out at him again with a sloppy swipe. Again Ranma dodged the attack though he could feel the intensity of the attack, of the rage, waning. That the fake katana at his side had turned to water told him that somehow his water clones had been bested.

"I'm sorry that your rival got hurt," Ranma said sympathetically. "I've seen plenty of people die, and it's never easy, but now ain't the time for you to lose your head."

Again the blond lunged at him, this time Ranma stepped into the attack, tripping the younger fighter. Naruto's momentum sent him sliding over the edge of the bridge. He hoped that the kid could swim since it wasn't likely that he could walk on water yet.

"You alright?" he asked Haku.

"He broke my arm," the ninja replied through his cracked mask. "I can't even do hand seals. Please, take care of Master Zabuza."

Even injured, Haku couldn't help but think of Zabuza first. "Fine," Ranma sighed, "but you owe me."

In the time that it had taken Ranma to deal with Naruto, somehow his water clones (fake Tazuna and guard) had been undone, leaving Sakura confused and bewildered as she scrambled to find the bridge-builder as Zabuza and Kakashi eyed each other warily. Aside from beating up Ranma's clones, neither veteran ninja moved though both eyed the redhead skeptically as he approached them.

"So you managed to beat my clones," Ranma said with a shrug.

"Shut up Ranma," Zabuza muttered through the bandages covering his face.

"You remember how I cautioned you not to work with Gato?" the redhead asked as he picked up the katanas that his clone had used. "That he's likely to betray you instead of paying you for this job?"

For just the briefest of moments Zabuza glanced south at the dark mass in the fog.

"It seems that you've failed," a man's voice broke through the fog. "So much for the vaunted 'Demon of the Mist'."

There were noticeable snickers at the man's remark. As the ship approached the bridge it became clear why. Over a hundred armed figures stood upon the deck of the ship, all eager to earn even a fraction of the money that had been promised to Zabuza.

"It's not so much that I failed," the Demon of the Mist replied, "more that I figured you couldn't be trusted."

His words infuriated the businessman. "Stop acting like you expected this! I've gotten here because I know which opportunities to seize and how – you're just a dog without a master."

Zabuza's laughter was retort enough.

"Do you really think that you'll win with numbers?" Haku asked as he interjected himself into the conversation.

"Even I can see that you're not a 100% boy," one of the rogue samurai at Gato's side shouted. "I've been waiting for some payback."

"It's more likely that you'll be the ones feeding the fish tonight," Haku replied. Putting his good hand up to his lips, he whistled.

Three figures leap off the underside of the bridge, unleashing a volley of projectiles at the ship. The three ninja managed to clear out enough space on the deck for themselves to land before they began to wreak havoc on Gato's forces.

"Sometimes you have to fool your friends," Zabusa stated as he lifted the Executioner's Blade.

It was a rare display from the usually cold ninja. Ranma couldn't help but smile. "I'll still take out more of them then you."

"Is that a bet?"

"I wasn't talking to you," Ranma said has he leapt off the bridge.

Again Zabuza laughed, this time it was less hearty and more menacing and maniacal as he leapt off the bridge, "Save Gato for me!"

* * *

A/N

I'll leave things there for now.

I hope you're enjoying this fic. If you're a fan of fics that I write, please check out my other fics. I'm currently working on most of the stuff that is still on this site as well as another new fic – Ajin 1-2-3.

Dreamingfox


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes –

This is a work of Fanfiction. I do not own the rights to Ranma ½, Naruto, or Senran Kagura.

* * *

"Let me get this straight," an exasperated Ranma Saotome said as he eyed the new equipment, "ninja have their own villages, but aren't part of any daimyo's standing army."

Homura nodded silently.

"And they don't have any authority, notable ninja can even have bounties put on them but only those daring enough try to collect said bounties."

Again his partner nodded.

"The lords may hire ninja but law enforcement is often left to ninja who didn't gradate or retired genin," he added, "because most ninja villages don't pass all of their academy students since the failed ninja aren't loyal to any ninja village. Each village hands out a book listing all of their active ninja as well as a book of any rogues as a means of attracting the daimyos' favor for future contracts as well as a means for local lords to know who is or isn't a ninja."

This time it was Haku who nodded.

"And now that we're signed up with Whirlpool we're officially in the ninja bingo book," he sighed.

Again Haku nodded, "That is correct."

"Another way that the villages show how good their ninja are is through the finals of the chunin exam, where genin fight each other in an attempt to get promoted. It's also a means of open ninja war as a good number of entrants die outside of their missions because just being on opposite sides of missions isn't enough for ninja to kill each other since they're not allowed to wage open war against each other as part of the agreement that ended the last ninja war."

"That sounds about right," the usually masked ninja replied.

He couldn't help but think that there was something more to the fact that he was now going to these chunin exams at the Hidden Leaf Village, or Village Hidden in Leaves. It was likely that Zabuza was going to pull another one over on him, just as he did at the bridge. While the money earned by the new head of Gato International had been more than what the former head of Gato International had offered for the assassination of the bridge builder, it had not been enough for Zabuza to fund his revolt. Thus the reason why the former rogue ninja had taken his limited resources and joined up with the Hidden Whirlpool village.

The tiny village was not like the major ninja villages. For one it was vastly smaller with fewer than a hundred villagers and with less than a third of those were active ninja. With such a small pool of active ninja it was no wonder that they had accepted the five ninja and their martial artist companion into their ranks.

The genin of Whirlpool had been severely, well, underwhelming. They were not close to being on par with Kakashi's team of genin, well, they were on par with Sakura but she was clearly far behind Sasuke and Naruto. Sure, most of the genin could walk on water, a few even dared to run up the water fall, though Ranma was sure that they only did so to try to impress him.

It was of course no surprise that the only team that Whirlpool was fielding for the Chunin exams consisted of three members of their newest members. Not only where they expendable, they were also the most skilled genin team. As good as Haku was, he was never officially listed as by the Mist as one of their ninja. For Homura things were different as she was the only member of her original squad that hadn't been promoted to Chunin as fire jutsu was rare amongst the village's ninja. Water was the most common jutsu type, though there were also many earth types as well.

He could feel the difference in the chakra of Wave Country and Fire Country. With each step he could almost feel the vibrant life and energy, and he could feel it all dying in flames as well. Though the forests were thick and luscious fire played a pivotal role in ecosystem by helping to break down organic matter and helping to enrich the soil with nutrients.

Leaf Village was nothing like Whirlpool Village. Waterfall truly was a village, but Leaf was closer to a city with electrical wires, electrical poles, lights, a market district, and a huge mountain with carved faces on it that made Mount Rushmore seem tiny in comparison. "How the hell is this village hidden in the leaves?"

The massive walls surrounding the village were at least thirty meters high. The walls looked impressive but Ranma also noted a hint of chakra reinforcement that made the walls more durable and perhaps prevented ninja from walking up the walls. A titanic gate guarded openly by a pair of jounin and at least another half-dozen anbu served as the entrance to the village though it was likely only one of many.

Ranma could feel all eyes on his team as they presented their papers to the ninja on duty. Ranma made a point of making eye contact with each of the hidden ninja before his team finally was cleared to enter.

"Let's head to the market," Homura suggested once they were clear of the gate, "I want to see if there are any good smiths."

Unlike Whirlpool Village, the Leaf had established merchants that sold wares. The smith that had accepted work from Zabuza's band was good for a backwater smith, but he lacked the resources of the smiths in Fire Country.

Having arrived a day before the exams were set to begin they still needed to find lodging for at least the night.

The scent of ramen caught his nose, eliciting a rumble from his stomach. While this world had many similarities to his home world, the only thing that Wave Country had that was similar to his food back in Japan was sushi/sashimi and something the Demon Brothers cooked that was much more edible than Akane's cooking.

"We really should stick together," Haku advised.

"Don't worry, I won't get into any trouble," Ranma said as he waved off his teammates. "I'll be right here when you're done."

True to his word he was still at the ramen stand when his teammates finally completed their purchases. "Three more specials," Ranma said as he motioned to the pretty waitress.

"Sure thing Ranma-sama," Ayame said with a chipper smile.

"Just Ranma," he replied. He knew why she was doing it, but he still couldn't help but playfully admonish her. She was fulfilling her role as a good waitress and he was a paying customer.

"How many have you had?" Haku asked as he eyed the stack of bowls that the waitress was cleaning.

"Two of each so far, but their special is the best," the pigtailed warrior stated. "If these exams are anything like the ones Homura's talked about, then we're going to need to pack in some calories today. Grab a seat."

"Ramen?" Homura asked as she took a seat beside her occasional lover.

"Lots of calories, great taste, carbohydrates, protein, and its nutritious," Ranma explained.

Ranma had never seen so many ninja before. Sure, Whirlpool had nearly thirty but half of them had been out on jobs most of the time leaving the other half to train and guard the village. By his count he'd seen over three score of Leaf ninja out in the open with twice that number trying to hide their presence. There were at least another seven teams comprised of ninja from other villages, each from a different village.

"The hosting nation usually fields the most teams," Homura explained once they were back in their room. "While the finals can be an economic boost to the host village, they are also the ones that must deal with the security and tend to hold back squads since many are involved in security and the exams."

Unsaid was that she'd participated in the one exam that Mist had hosted and that her two teammates had been promoted as a result. That jounin oversaw the exams was a given as chunin were limited to instructing in the academies.

"The first test is usually a test was a test of our knowledge and nerve – we had to answer several questions correctly while also having several dozen jounin throwing kunai and stars at us. If you flinched or missed too many questions your entire team was eliminated. The second round was essentially open war between the remaining squads over the course of a week. Of course the Mist squads teamed up against the others until only five or six teams were left. The final exam is one on one combat in a tournament setting. The kage will assess the performance of the genin and determine if any deserve to be promoted. Winning is not a guarantee of promotion – it just means that you are given more opportunities to impress the kage that you deserve to be promoted."

True to ninja philosophy, the building where the chunin exams was to take place was a four story building that did stand out except in the fact that it was, well, bland.

"The ticket says we need to head to room 301," Ranma muttered as he entered the building.

Unlike a typical building which had stairwells that accessed each floor, the stairwell at the back of the building only went up to the second floor. A large crowd stood before the first room on the second floor, blocking the hall.

"This is only the second floor," Ranma stated in the subtle gestures that Zabuza's band of ninja employed.

"Correct," Haku replied.

"Yeah," Homura added. "Let's just slip by them and find the stairs to the third floor."

With everyone's focus on the wrong room, it was easy for the trio to slip by, find the stairs to the third floor (there was a room with stairs to the fourth floor as well) and find the correct examination room.

A pair of ninja wearing vests stood by the door. "You're here for the exam?" asked a wild haired ninja with black marks on his cheeks.

Ranma nodded.

"Someone already saw through the genjutsu," muttered a bandaged ninja. "Guess it wasn't as good as we expected it."

"This will be your team number," the other jounin said as he handed the squad a number.

"Well, we are number one," Ranma said with a smirk as he accepted the number.

Unsurprisingly they were the first squad into the exam room. In a matter minutes more squads arrived slowly filling the room, each sitting or standing together as they considered the exam. The brightest knew that the exam had already begun. Ninja were tricky that way.

A familiar orange jumpsuit stood out from the bland blues, blacks, grays and greens, drawing Ranma and Haku's eyes.

Ranma began to probe and scan the gathering ninja, getting a feel of their ambient chakra. Some had clear elemental affinities already, but the two that stood out the most were Naruto and some redheaded kid from Sand. Having seen even a fraction of the raw power that the loudmouthed blonde had Ranma knew that the kid had potential but he needed much more polish. The redheaded kid though had significantly more polish and killer intent - that was something considering that almost all of the ninja oozed killer intent. Aside from those two, there were several with considerable reserves, though two figures worked really hard to obfuscate their true potential. One was a grey haired Leaf ninja a year or two older than he was, and the other… the other was a guy wearing a Grass headband.

"Who are they?" Ranma signaled Haku as he felt a spike of Killer intent as the loudmouthed brat declared that he wouldn't lose to anyone.

"I don't recognize their marker," the young veteran replied.

Seeing the trio moving into place, Ranma considered his options. He didn't like it when douchebags made sneak attacks. Hell, his former rivals all yelled out a challenge or at least a declared their desire to kill him as they initiated any fight. But these kids were ninja and smart ninja didn't do that kind of shit.

He waited for the leader of the trio to make his move – attacking some kid in glasses that seemed to be dealing information. In a flash, Ranma slipped behind the grey haired kid, stealing his pouch of cards and the information that they contained.

"You used your bloodline," Haku stated in sign as he noticed Ranma.

The pigtailed martial artists simply settled into his seat so that he could discretely check out the cards. It felt a bit like cheating really. He'd never fought any of the genin other than Naruto's squad and here he was with a list of their academy scores, performance evaluations from previous Chunin Exams, number of missions and ranks of those missions, and a list of notable jutsu both individually and bloodlines. He was glad that there were no cards for his squad, though the squad from Sound also had no cards.

So focused on the cards was he that he barely noted the arrival of the jounin overseeing the first part of the exam. Absently he shuffled the cards away before taking a number and finding his assigned seat.

'Ten questions, each worth a point,' he thought as he put together the description of the exam, 'but you lose points for being caught cheating. If you get caught cheating too much you can get your team eliminated from the exam.'

"Begin!"

He took note of the various mirrors that different ninja began to sneakily attach to the ceiling or wall. Only the youngest and most inexperienced of the genin looked at the exams before them. Ranma smirked. He knew how to cheat with the best of them.

Flipping the sheet, he read through the listed questions before reaching the final one. 'They're not actually going to check the answers, they just want to see who has the skills to avoid being caught spying,' he surmised. He knew that he had several sets of eyes on him as he began to answer the questions. With his sloppy handwriting and purposefully incorrect answers he began to mislead the inexperienced genin.

"Team 12 – you are eliminated!" the proctor's voice broke the silence.

"What?!" one of the genin from that squad objected.

"Are you questioning our ability as jounin?" the stern ninja demanded.

Scowling in defeat, the trio departed.

It took less than fifteen minutes for the first team to be eliminated. In the span of another twenty minutes seven more teams were called out and eliminated.

Confident in his ability to decipher the true test, Ranma paid little attention to them as he started to flip through the cards again in preparation for the next stage of the exams. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Naruto trembling, his nerves starting to get the best of him. 'The kid's pretty green – a C-class mission that turned A-class – I'm guessing that's the one we ran into them on.'

He pulled the card of the redhead from Sand – Gaara of the Desert. 'Returns from his missions unscathed,' he noted. 'This is stuff that's not in the bingo book.' While nice, the card had limited information beyond that.

Flipping through the cards he settled on another, 'This is the creepy guy from Grass. Nothing outstanding, but the guy definitely gives a creepy vibe.'

As the minutes passed, more and more teams were escorted out of the room. Each team was only as strong as the weakest link. By the time the final question was ready to be given two thirds of the squads remained.

"For those of you who remain," the stoic proctor said as he stood before the gathered genin, "there is a condition you must accept before I give the final question." The scarred ninja eyed his captive audience. "If you should fail to answer this question correctly you and your team will forever be barred from taking any further Chunin Exams." He let his words sink in before continuing, "Of course you can always opt out now and try next time."

The tension in the air was palpable as genin pondered their future.

"I'm sorry," a genin said weakly as he raised his hand, eliminating his team.

With the floodgates open several more genin lost their nerve, raising their hands in surrender.

'Less people to deal with in the next stage,' mused the martial artist. 'Only twenty eight teams left.'

Even from where he sat he could make out Naruto's distinctive outfit as the young genin raised his trembling hand. Suddenly the same extended hand came crashing down onto the desktop as Naruto began to yell at the head proctor. It was an amusing display of the youth conquering his nerves though he also gave many of the remaining genin the courage to face the final question.

'He's a real idiot,' Ranma thought as he took in the change of atmosphere in the room. 'Clearly some of the genin have no idea what it means to be a ninja, not that I'm much better…'

Naruto's outburst put an effective end to the first stage of the exam as none of the remaining genin squads buckled under the perceived pressure of the final question.

Ranma yawned as the head proctor went about and explained the point of the exam to those who had failed to grasp the hidden meaning behind the exam. 'I'm bored,' he signaled to Haku.

A sudden chill filled the corner of the room where the ice ninja sat as he considered his teammate. While Ranma was not prone to be homicidal the cursed martial artist was capable of unmitigated evil when he was bored.

Before Ranma could do anything to disrupt the end of the exam a figure crashed through the window even as a smoke bomb went off. Four expertly thrown kunai intercepted another set of kunai, preventing the latter from attaching themselves to the floor and ceil and knocking back the banner that they were meant to hold up.

"What the hell!" a woman's voice cried out in protest as the black cloth fell over her and prevented her from making a dynamic entrance.

"What the"

Good as he was, Ranma saw several jonin glance at him.

While kunai could cut, they were better at piercing and stabbing, as evidenced by the display the kunoichi made as she cut herself out of the banner that she had failed to set up. "Who the hell did that?" she demanded once she was able to stand unencumbered.

The scarred ninja who had overseen the first exam calmly approached her and whispered into her ear. Whatever he said was audible only to two head proctors, but it appeared to have calmed the second proctor.

In fact he did not see her until the appointed time when he along with is squad arrived at the mysterious Training Ground 42 or 43 – the Forest of Death.

"Good, you're all here," the Head Proctor of the Second Exam said as she kept one eye on Ranma. "I was afraid some of you might chicken out."

Ranma wanted to retort but Homura tapped a kunai against his thigh.

"Before you can proceed, you will need to sign these waivers," the jounin stated, her eyes gleaming evilly as she purposefully made eye contact with Ranma.

"What are these for?" Of course it was the loudmouthed Naruto who had spoken up as he eyed the form handed to him by a jounin.

"It's a waiver," the Head Proctor explained, "because we cannot guarantee your safety."

If this was another ploy to weaken the resolve of the prospective chunin then this was the wrong time and place for it. Such tricks had lost their appeal and effectiveness once the first exam had been completed.

"Your team will be assigned a number," Anko stated as several Leaf jounin moved amongst the genin squads, "each number corresponds to a gate. When your gate opens your squad is to make your way into the enclosed forest. At the center of the forest is a safe zone – you have five days to reach the safe zone. Obviously if you fail to reach the safe zone you fail to advance to the Third Stage of the exams.

"Each squad will be provided a half-scroll – either Heaven or Earth. You will need to find the other half of the scroll – presumably from another genin squad – so that you can advance to the Third Stage.

"The Forest of Death is called that because it is full of danger – everything in there could kill you if you are not careful. There will be no jounin overseeing you. If your squad gets into something that they cannot handle there will be no jounin nearby to save you."

She let her words sink in as the other jounin finished handing out the waivers. "Once your entire squad turns in your waivers to a jounin they will provide you with a gate number. Be there when the gate opens because it won't stay open long."

That they did not want anything to escape the forest was left unsaid though more than few understood that.

'It's a forest so plenty of game for food and water for the game to predators to drink,' Haku signed to them as they waited for their gate to open.

'I counted twenty gates,' Homura stated as she paced around the tiny enclosure. 'There are likely more. This place is huge.'

'They'll likely place us between two Leaf teams,' Haku stated.

"We've got to get to the safe zone by noon of the fifth day," Ranma verbalized. They lived in a world where one could summon sentient animals such as toads, cats, dogs, slugs, snakes and eagles as well as any other number of creatures so it was possible that someone was listening in. "That doesn't sound too hard."

"We'll need to find a team with the corresponding half," Homura said with a shrug.

"Or we just gather as many halves as possible," the cursed martial artist said with a grin. "That way we limit how many teams reach the third stage of the exam."

"There are twenty six teams," the kunoichi stated. "They prefer to have only four or fewer teams reach the finals so that the final stage doesn't take too long."

Before anything else could be said a red warning light went off and the gate opened.

"You've got ten seconds to get through the gate. Once it closes a high voltage charge will be channeled through the fence to stun anything that comes into the enclosure," Anko's voice pronounced.

The squad was through the gate before she completed her warning.

"Damn, I was hoping to fry some genin."

They were barely out of the gate when they encountered their first obstacle – dozens of large snakes, each longer than the three of them together.

"Doesn't the Proctor have a thing for snakes?" Ranma asked as he slipped into his Soul of Ice. The technique immediately sent a chill through the air that the cold blooded creatures did not like. "Do you think she's still mad?"

"You should refrain from using that technique," cautioned an exasperated Haku. "We wouldn't want to leave such an obvious"

The lecture was cut short as Ranma unleashed a volley of kunai that expertly pierced the eyes of the offending serpents. "Sorry, you were saying?" His retort was nearly drowned out by the multiple explosions from the tags that he'd latched onto the kunai.

"You're wasting resources," Haku sighed as he eyed the carnage and destruction.

"I've got more," the pigtailed warrior replied, "and if I need more I'll get it from the squad that's coming this way."

"Let me!" Homura insisted as she rushed in the direction of the approaching squad.

The feel of intense killer intent urged him to obstruct his teammate's path. "Wait."

Three figures hid beyond the edge of the clearing, though Ranma knew who they were immediately. "Hey grey-hair, your cards are pretty useful, though it's no surprise that you omitted you and your teammates. Guess that's because you're a bunch of losers who'll never pass the Chunin Exam."

As good as they were supposed to be, the two of the three ninja just could not handle being taunted. Ranma's smirk never left his face as he met their charge. Slipping between the pair he threw a quick flurry of punches that sent both flying in opposite directions.

The first punch was to gage his opponent, the second to disable, and the rest were for good measure and to ensure that the ninja wouldn't be getting up. All that was left was to deal with the only true threat of the trio. "I figure you'd just leave your buddies here and hope that they aren't dead while you slither into some hole to hide, but clearly you've got some guts in you."

Holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender, the last ninja standing of his squad took a submissive stance even as he reached for the half of the scroll that his team had been given, "Please, take this."

The kid was a great actor, probably better than Ranma had he ever wanted to seriously act. Unfortunately Ranma couldn't ignore the feeling in his gut that said that the guy was trouble. Grey-hair was seething inside but maintained a calm and submissive demeanor.

"Thanks," Homura said as she slammed a pair of kunai into the Leaf ninja's wrists, pinning his arms to the ground. A quick kick to the face rendered the ninja unconscious, cutting short any cries of pain or protest. "Damn, not the half we need."

"That sucks," Ranma said as he tossed the Heaven Scroll to Haku. "For now, let's try to see how much these guys know."

* * *

Torture was a subject that all experienced ninja knew of, though only a handful had actually endured it since the end of the last ninja war. As former rogue ninja though Haku and Homura had been on both sides of the black hoods, yet their experiences had not prepared them for what Ranma had devised for the trio of experienced Leaf.

"I will never look at cats the same way," Homura stated as she looked at the mentally broken ninja.

"'Know thy self, know they enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories,'" Ranma quoted as the now redheaded kunoichi checked his restored inventory of weapons and scrolls.

"Are you sure about this?" Haku asked as he eyed the enormous set of pits that the martial artist had created.

"They won't be able to get out without help," Ranma assured them. "I've made sure that they can't generate chakra and they're weakened so it will be difficult for them to get out on their own. Plus I've made it so that they won't be able to remember us at all."

"Death would be kinder," muttered Haku as he finally turned his back on the scene. For someone who detested killing, Ranma was surprisingly cruel. It did not help that the trio of Leaf ninja were double agents biding their time until the Third Exam when their foreign allies would attack the Leaf Village. As foreign ninja themselves, it was unlikely that the Leaf ninja would believe them.

"Now we need to find the Sound and Sand squads."

He knew that Ranma was going to say it, but he still did not like actually hearing the words spoken. Ranma was far too honorable to be a ninja, yet there was nothing that Haku could do to. All that he could do was subtly try to guide the martial artist in ways that benefited Zabuza. "We should split up," he suggested. "You're capable enough to deal with the squads if you encounter them in the forest, and together Homura and I should be able to take deal with any squads – but if something comes up or we find either team then we'll signal you with a small tornado. Otherwise we meet up at the eastern side of the safe zone on the final day."

For a moment Ranma looked him over, "Fine – on the fifth day we meet at the eastern side of the Safe Zone."

* * *

Ranma Saotome was not a stupid person contrary to popular belief. While his physical skills and accomplishments outshined his educational ones, he was rather sharp when he wanted to be. That he'd had to deal with idiots and clowns back in Nerima meant that he did not have to step up his game much to out-think them, especially since he could usually just beat them easily in a fight.

Haku had a reason for wanting to split the squad up and it likely had to do with some uber secret mission or task that Zabuza had given his second in command. He had an idea of what the bandaged ninja might be up to, but he wasn't completely certain. Ninja were tricky like that.

There had been a reason why Zabuza's crew had been able to get so many jobs, it was because some jerk had been building up his own powerbase without letting the other established ninja villages know their true strength. And soon they would unveil their true power when they and Suna attacked the Leaf during the Finals of the Chunin Exam. That he had sleeper cells already suggested that there was little Ranma could actually do to thwart those plans, at least according to the three double agents that he'd dealt with. They had limited information but grey-haired with glasses had let slip that his boss a keen interest in the last Uchiha.

Ranma's sense of fairness demanded that he step in. It was one thing for the various genin squads to fight for a chance to be promoted, but to have a team seeking you out specifically for nefarious reasons, well, that he couldn't let slide.

His growing ability to sense chakras helped him navigate the forest and find his targets. It had helped that he'd been able to get a feel for virtually all of the genins' chakra during the first stage of the exam, now he just needed to reach them. The more that they used their chakra the easier it was for him to detect them.

Naruto's immense chakra reserves should have made it easier for him to detect but the loudmouthed ninja's chakra had flared earlier when Ranma was still interrogating the three turncoats. That it had been the slimy weirdo whom Naruto had fought was disconcerting.

That he could at least tell what direction Naruto was in suggested that the kid was alive, but the Sound trio were closing in on his position.

Spurred, Ranma hoped that he wouldn't be too late.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes –

This is a work of Fanfiction. I do not own the rights to Ranma ½, Naruto, or Senran Kagura.

Haku refers to Ranma's ability as "Bloodline" but it's actually Genma's sealed techniques – an art passed from father to son.

Whirlpool existing doesn't change the fact that Naruto's mother was considered a Leaf ninja. While many of his family had been part of what made Whirlpool formidable, his mother's family was not only associated with Whirlpool.

Ranma didn't actually use cats to torture the Leaf ninja, he had Haku and Homura use genjutsu to convince the Leaf ninja that squirls, raccoons, and other small forest animals were actually cats to simulate the training that he'd received.

* * *

The Forest of Death was aptly named as it personified the life and death struggle between predator and prey. Every creature in the forest had a hint of chakra in them, causing them to grow abnormally large. It was why the forest creatures that he'd used on the Leaf squad were so large and why they made the genjutsu that Haku and Homura had used on them so believable.

Sounds of the life and death were everywhere as fierce tigers stalked nimble deer, reptiles and lizards vied for territory, insects feasted or died, and birds cried out warnings or serenaded potential mates. The few skirmishes between genin squads were silent in comparison. Still, Ranma was able to find the Sound squad though they had already engaged their targets.

Fighting the urge to rush to the pinkette's aid, Ranma instead opted to take a play out of the ninja playbook. Creating two water clones and then transforming them into copies of the two unconscious ninja, Ranma secreted the pair away so that he could get a better look at what was altering the boys' chakra.

Forcing just a bit of his ki into the boys so that the seals placed on them appeared, Ranma scowled as he tried to decipher the seals. Sasuke's would be easier, then again, it was only one seal giving the boy power. Naruto's seals were different and the odd number seal over the even numbered seal would mess the boy's chakra control completely.

Sealing just happened to be the only thing Ranma could do with ki that he couldn't do with chakra, making it the one subject that the cursed martial artist had excelled at in his recent studies. Still, he'd need time to do things properly so as not to damage the boys. He'd have to let the water clones play until he could arrange for the real Naruto and Sasuke to rejoin their teammate.

* * *

There were many things that could be said of Neji Hyuga, but uncaring was not one of them. Sure, he disliked the Main Hyuuga family with a passion, but he did care about them in a way. He felt that his teammate was an idiot for thinking that pure hard work could overcome his own hard work and genius, but he still cared about his rival. Few would have thought him capable of feeling anything for the village idiot Naruto Uzumaki and the last Uchiha but Neji Hyuga did care for them as fellow Leaf ninja.

Using his eyes to keep track of his overeager teammate, the young genius took note of the odd constructs that had replaced the two unconscious ninja even as their teammate and his fought off the Sound squad. While he was still a genin, he counted himself as a veteran genin despite having only graduated a year ago and having forgone the prior two Chunin Exams. What his keen eyes observed baffled him.

"Tenten," he said, addressing the kunoichi of the team, "go check on Lee."

Knowing her place in the team's pecking order, she diligently did as he ordered, allowing him to go after the source of the odd constructs. Though the genin was smaller than he and was bearing two other genin, Neji strained to keep up with the mysterious redheaded genin. Straining his memory, he could not recall having seen that genin during the first stage of the exam.

He was relieved when the redheaded kunoichi finally stopped atop a mighty oak, gently placing the two unconscious Leaf ninja on a branch so that they wouldn't fall.

"You're a Hyuga," the redhead stated as she turned and watched the young genius approach, "branch member, right?"

Neji fought the urge to scowl as he landed, unsure what ploy the unknown Whirlpool ninja had prepared. "What of it?"

"What if I could remove your Seal?" she asked casually even as she knelt down by the two unconscious boys.

He could see her odd chakra as it touched the two genin, revealing the strange seals on them. "What are you doing?"

"Someone put these on them, but I want to remove them," the redhead stated.

"Why would you want to do that?"

For a moment the redhead paused, a hint of uncertainty on her face. "Because I just don't think what's been done to them is right."

Neji almost smirked. "Who are you to decide what is right and what is wrong?"

The redhead shrugged, "I'm just a guy who wants to do what I want to do without having other people decide my fate for me."

The stoic ninja paused to consider the strange kunoichi's words. "You would help them fight their fates?" he heard himself saying. "And you would do the same for me?"

"Sure," the redhead replied, "I need the practice."

Neji blinked.

"I've learned about seals but I don't get much of an opportunity to practice removing seals placed on people," the redhead said sheepishly.

Logically the girl's argument fit, "You are a Master of Fuinjutsu?" The Hyuga had several Fuinjutsu masters, they had created the Caged Bird Seal after all.

"I wouldn't say I'm a master yet," the redhead replied. "I did just make it so that a squad of genin can no longer use chakra unless I remove the seals – plus I did it so that no one would be able to see that their chakra is seale – not like these" she touched the boys to reveal their seals again. "So, are you in or out? The brats are going to wake up soon and I'd rather keep them asleep when I remove the seals."

"What do you need me to do?" he found himself asking.

"Just keep watch, and no, I don't have the scroll for my team," the redhead replied.

Neji watched in fascination as the redhead used her odd energy to remove the five elemental. Such powerful seals often rendered the victim unconscious for a day or more after they were first applied. That he had another seal, an eight trigram seal – such an elaborate seal… Neji stiffened reflexively as he realized the implications. An orphan boy, born on the day that the kyuubi had attacked the village….

"I don't think I'll take out the other seal," the redhead muttered as she pulled back from Naruto.

"You'd risk releasing the Kyuubi," Neji stated.

"Maybe, but it's more that the brat can't handle so much chakra, it'd overload him and probably kill him, then release the fox inside," she said with a sigh. "Talk about cursed fate - the kid's going to have to convince the fox to work with him if he wants to use the power that the fox has. It doesn't help that it was his parents who sealed the fox inside of him so of course the fox won't be happy with him or his family."

Again Neji blinked. Hadn't the Fourth been the one to defeat the beast? The Fourth had been married? "How do you know that?"

"Oh, right, well, there's something about the Eight Trigram Seal, something about how his old man fused a bit of his chakra to the first of the Four Trigram Seal to prevent Naruto from unleashing the fox. There's a second Four Trigram Seal as well, but that one was set up by the kid's mom." The redhead shook her head.

"Now to deal with the other seal," she sighed again.

It was not that the redhead had added another seal to counter the initial seal, but that she had actually removed it, just as she had with the five elemental seal that had been on Naruto. Only a true master of Fuijutsu could do that. How was she just a genin?

"There," the girl said with a smile. "Much easier than the brat's seals and no hidden messages either." She turned to look at him. "Now it's your turn."

* * *

He should have felt better than he was. Logically he knew that, but the reality was much different for Ranma Saotome as he considered all that had occurred in the Forest of Death. His clones had managed to trounce the Sound squad easily without revealing themselves, he'd made a new ally amongst the Leaf genin, and he'd discovered a plot against the Leaf. By the time he'd met up with Haku and Homura, the trio had eliminated all but six teams from the exam.

"Looks like we're the last ones here," Haku said as he tossed a half-scroll to Ranma.

"And this makes a set," Homura added as she followed suit.

The Safe Zone was but a large building set atop a mighty redwood at the direct center of the Forest of Death.

He'd captured a good number of scrolls himself as he sought to cut down on the number of teams that would pass this stage of the exams. Still, it was good to know that his teammates were pulling their weight. "Now we just put these babies together and"

"Good job," Zabuza said as he greeted the team. The bandaged ninja looked nothing like he had before he'd signed on with Whirlpool. Ranma had a gnawing feeling he knew why, but he knew that it was best left unsaid. "Come on, the other teams are waiting."

He led them from the entrance to a large arena where the remaining teams were waiting along with their jonin sensei and the jonin proctors. Most if not all of the genin appeared to be younger than he was, though with ninja one was never sure. Of the seven teams that had made it this far four were from Leaf, one was Sand, and the other was Mist.

"Congratulations on making it this far," the Head Proctor said as she eyed Ranma in particular. "Unfortunately there are too many of you who reached this stage so we're going to have eliminate some of you."

There were some shouts of discontent and dismay at that, but they were quickly silenced by Head Proctor. "Does anyone wish to exclude themselves at this time?"

It was no surprise that none of the genin wanted to quit, not when they had made it this far already.

"Pairings will be picked at random," Anko stated. "As the Head Proctor I will oversee the match. Defeat your opponent by disabling them or having them submit – this is not to the death. As there are an uneven number of you, the first bout will be a three-way battle with only one winner."

All eyes turned to the huge display on the wall as names quickly flashed on the screen before vanishing giving credence to the lie that the matches were randomly drawn. Ino Yamanaka was the first name to be displayed followed by Sakura Haruno and finally "Homura Uzumaki.

Two Leaf ninja and a Whirlpool ninja – statistically a Leaf ninja was likely to win, but Ranma knew better. He'd seen Sakura fight. Well, she hadn't fought really, not against the Sound ninja. Had it not been for Rock Lee's timely intervention and ultimately the water clones passing themselves off as Naruto and Sasuke her teammates would have been killed. Ino and her team had nearly lost to the Sound trio as well.

Ranma shook his head as he noticed the sadistic grin on his lover's face. She was not allowed to kill but there were more ways for her to humiliate her opponents.

"You're kunoichi from Leaf?" the brunette scoffed as she eyed her opponents. "I'll show you how skilled a kunoichi I am and how lacking in training you are, though to be fair, I'm more of a woman than either one of you."

It was Haku's turn to shake his head. "You're a bad influence on her."

Both Leaf kunoichi reddened at the insult. They couldn't counter her argument as Homura was more developed than either girl.

"Begin!" Anko shouted before vanishing.

Homura leapt into action, drawing six of her katana and wielding three per hand.

Both of her opponents took a step back, each putting distance between themselves and their opponents rather than moving to work together to eliminate the greater threat.

"They're doomed," Ranma stated.

"There's no way Sakura-chan is going to lose," Naruto shouted.

Ranma looked at the boy then shrugged.

The sound of metal hitting metal kept him from retorting as Homura batted away the projectiles thrown by both of her opponents.

"There's no way I'd lose to a flat-chested-macho tomboy like you!" the fiery girl proclaimed as she ignored the pinkette's barrage of kunai and focused on the blond.

"Ha!" the other kunoichi shouted in triumph. "Even she knows that I'm someone to be reckoned with!"

"Shut up Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted as she took aim at her rival.

With a burst of speed that neither Leaf kunoichi expected, Homura flew by the blond. Her precise cuts were only enough to cut through the blonde's purple outfit, giving her flames a foothold as the light flames burned away the girl's clothes.

Before Sakura knew it, Homura was upon her, shredding then burning her clothes with calculated cuts.

"What?!"

"NO!"

Both girls slumped to the ground, their hands and arms moving to protect their modesty before the crowd of mostly male ninja.

"You're not real kunoichi," Homura stated as she kicked Sakura in the head, knocking her out. "You're just girls playing at being ninja."

Before Ino could protest, Homura had returned to the blond, a powerful knee to the Ino's stomach doubled her over.

"Winner – Homura Uzumaki!" Anko proclaimed.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Ino!"

The male squad leaders of both girls appeared beside them, each draping a cloak over the naked girls to protect their modesty, before ordering their male teammates to bring the unconscious girls to the stands.

"That, that was despicable," Naruto said as he and Sasuke helped their defeated teammate back to the rafters overseeing the arena.

"As a ninja you must be prepared to lose your life," Homura retorted. "For a kunoichi we must be willing to forgo out modesty, cousin."

"Cousin?" Naruto blinked.

"You do have the same family name," Sasuke stated.

"You know nothing of the Uzumaki?" Homura asked the blond. "Then again, you don't have the usual look of an Uzumaki. The Uzumaki were once one of the most distinguished clans in Whirlpool."

Ranma could detect a hint of anger and sorrow in his lover's voice.

"Why don't you two take Sakura somewhere she can rest," Kakashi said as he inserted himself into the conversation. He guided his squad away insuring that Naruto did not talk with Homura any further.

"The next set of participants is being announced," Neji stated as he drew their attention to the screen. 'The names were put into a ball, then all the names were put into a tumbler. Two balls are extracted from the tumbler.'

Ranma nodded. He was glad he'd made that deal with Neji. With his eyes now unbound by the Caged Bird Seal, he could activate his eyes without anyone noticing.

While the process was random, Ranma knew that he needed to alter the match ups. Odds were in his favor though as it was unlikely that either he or Haku would be selected right after their teammate had just participated.

Kankuro of the Sand and Amuro Toshi were the next pair selected. The bout ended abruptly as the Mist ninja rushed his opponent in an attempt to pin the other ninja down only to find himself trapped inside a puppet. Realizing the helplessness of his situation Amuro quickly yielded.

"Winner – Kankuro!"

Though short, it was just long enough for Ranma to alter the next pairing - Kiba Inuzaka and Tenten.

He knew nothing of the two but the second was part of Neji's squad.

"You should just quit," the feral looking Kiba stated.

"I'm no pushover like the other two," the kunoichi replied.

"Begin!"

"This is going to hurt," Neji stated.

Like the previous match, the larger fighter moved in quickly. Rather than standing her ground, Tenten unleashed a barrage of kunai and throwing stars that forced the fanged ninja back.

In terms of power, it was clear that Kiba had the advantage, but Tenten's precision and control kept the fight from being too one-sided. Still, it was clear that she was being pushed back, though she seemed to be a few steps ahead of her opponent. She was a ranged fighter much better suited for a support role and not a frontline fighter like Kiba. For over twenty minutes he chased her about the arena, dodging her attacks until finally he seemed to have her cornered. Charging in he hesitated as Tenten moved to counter. Rather than throwing her weapon at him, she threw it to the ground, freeing her hands so that she could pull her shirt open, exposing her breasts. Lost in the momentum of his attack, Kiba's eyes grew in astonishment as he seemed to realize what he was actually looking at. It was all the opening Tenten needed as she kicked him in the groin.

All of the boys instinctively covered their groins even as Kiba let out a startled cry. Though Tenten had instigated, she continued to kick the boy even as he lay in a fetal position on the ground.

"Winner – Tenten!"

"I'd have expected you to pull off a stunt like that," Homura stated as she leaned against her lover.

"Damn," Ranma sighed, "now I can't pull that trick against these guys."

"That wouldn't have worked against me," Neji muttered.

"Probably because you've peeped on her with your eyes," Ranma replied.

"The Flames of her Youth proved that she was deserving of victory!" his teammate shouted beside them.

"What are you teaching your genin?" Zabuza asked as he eyed the spandex wearing jonin.

"What are you teaching your genin?" the strange ninja retorted.

Anko chuckled even as she turned to the screen, "Haku and Kiri."

The two clanless ninja quickly joined the Head Proctor on the arena floor.

Kiri, the Mist ninja, was a good head taller than Haku, and was all muscle.

"Begin!"

The sound of metal against metal opened the bout as Kiri unleashed a barrage of throwing stars at Haku. The smaller ninja responded by swatting the offending weapons from the air with his kunai even as he moved to close the distance between them. He was rewarded with a solid kick that connected with Kiri's thigh. Kiri countered with mighty left cross that staggered Haku. A knee caught the smaller fighter on the chin, sending him flying. Not allowing him time to recover, Kiri caught Haku's leg and slammed him in the floor only for Anko to intercede and catch the smaller fighter "It's over – you win."

Beside him Neji gave him a piercing look but said nothing.

It was Homura who rushed to the youngest member of their squad to assist the still groggy Haku back to the rafters.

The pairing were quickly announced – Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga. The hyperactive Naruto leapt over the railings, eager for his chance to earn a spot in the third stage of the exams, a stark contrast to Hinata as the timid girl seemed to hesitate before taking each step as she purposefully descended the stairs to the arena floor until finally the two stood across from each other.

"Thank you," Hinata said, bowing her head at her opponent, "it is because of you that I have discovered my nindo, but I cannot back down to you, even here."

The blond paused, confused and uncertain as to what his opponent meant. "I can't back down either," he finally replied. "Give me your best!"

Neji scowled.

Ranma couldn't help but suppress a chuckle.

"Begin!"

Hinata rushed into action connecting with a series of strikes that drove Naruto back.

"The kid's got no form," Ranma sighed.

Somehow Naruto managed to endure the onslaught, though it was clear that Hinata's strikes were pushing him back into a corner.

"She's sealed the tenketsu on his arms," Neji stated, a note of surprise in his voice. "He won't be able to mold his chakra."

"Kick his ass Hinata!" the girl's feral looking teammate shouted. "Show Dead Last that he doesn't deserve to be in the same arena as you!"

Rather than follow up with her advantage, Hinata stopped her assault. "Please yield."

"I can't do that," Naruto replied. "I won't give up – that's my nindo!"

For a second it appeared as though Naruto's arms were aflame. Several of the Leaf junin stood at attention, their attention now keenly focused on him.

"You see it now, don't you?" Naruto meant to whisper is just for Hinata but his was not one to whisper. "Your eyes, they saw the seal, didn't they? That's why the village hates me, but I'm going to prove to them that I'm not the monster even though I carry it inside of me."

Borrowing form the kyubi's immense well of chakra, Naruto forced his the tenketsu to reopen. A red aura of visible chakra enveloped him, healing him of the effects of Hinata's strikes. "You shouldn't have let me recover."

In a flash in was on her. The sloppiness of his form combined with the telegraphing of his attacks hampered his sudden burst of speed, allowing Hinata to defend on reflex alone. Still, a punch kick managed to get through, sweeping her off her feet and forcing her onto the ground where she managed to roll back to her feet.

"Even though many hated you," she said as she set her feet to meet his charge, "even though the adults picked on you, abused you, you came to my defense. You wouldn't let the bullies pick on me." She countered his overhand right with a punch to his abdomen. "You taught me to be stand up for myself. I know why you act out like you do – because you want people to recognize you for who you are, not for what you carry. I'm like that too. I want to be recognized for me, not for my father's daughter.

"You inspire me. That's why I love you."

Naruto pulled back, sorting his emotions and reassessing his strategy.

Beside him Neji clinched his fists.

Though he could have let the kyubi's chakra heal him from the last exchange, Naruto opted against it. "I wondered why you were willing to let me cheat off of you," he said with a shy grin. "Hinata, I accept your feelings. But I will not back down. I will beat you as Naruto Uzumaki, not as the kyubi's container."

Both ninja nodded, acknowledging that they were both putting their all into this next move.

They charged each other, though it was Hinata who connected with a palm strike to Naruto's chest. The blond feigned a punch, but shifted his attack into a grab, pulling Hinata to him even as he shifted his position so that they kissed. The pair tumbled to the ground, their lips still attached. Finally Naruto stood up, though he was reluctant to let go of Hinata's lips.

"He totally groped her," Ranma snickered to the girl's cousin.

"I… I have no words to describe what I'm feeling right now," Neji sighed. "Real ninja must not let their emotions get the best of them."

"Okay kettle."

"Winner – Naruto Uzumaki!"


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes –

This is of course a work of fan-fiction. Thus the setting is AU though it draws on primarily from Naruto and Ranma ½.

* * *

It was a credit to the jonin proctors that few of the genin had overheard what had actually been said between Naruto and Hinata during their bout. The kiss that ended the match and the shaky legs that Hinata kept the kunoichi rumor mill occupied as the pair made their way up to the railing that oversaw the arena.

Neji was called down for the next bout to face off against Choji Akimichi.

Having just witnessed a Hyuga in action, the stout Choji understood his options. "You're not likely to conceded if I told you I loved you, would you?"

Neji scowled even as a few in the rafters chuckled. "Not likely. I don't swing that way."

"Yeah, didn't think so, still, I gotta give it my all – my sensei's going to treat me to lunch as long as I don't forfit," the larger boy stated.

"Begin!"

In a battle of power versus precision, Neji easily won as he struck quickly, Choji with a palm strike to the chest. Feeling his reserve of chakra being blocked off, the younger genin conceded quickly.

"Winner – Neji Hyuga!"

The one-sided victory was more than sufficient to return the genins' focus to the bouts and away from Naruto.

With a sigh, Ranma looked at the score board. His name had finally appeared. Leaping over the railing he landed just as his opponent appeared in a veil of sand. He had wanted to deal with the kid and his squad in the Forest of Death immediately after discovering their role in the upcoming invasion but the Sand squad had already reached the safe zone. From the intelligence that Kabuto had eventually given up there was something special about Gaara. After dealing with Naruto, Ranma had a better idea of what he was facing.

"Begin!" Anko announced just before she vanished.

Neither genin moved, both hoping to encourage their opponent to take the initiative.

"You're strong," Gaara stated, a sadistic grin on his face.

"Strong enough to know that you're going to need your little friend to help you," Ranma replied.

His words only caused Gaara to laugh manically. "What are you"

Ranma's fist interrupted the smaller boy's question as his punches pierced the thin wall of sand protecting the Jinchuuriki. He was only able to land ten before the sand moved to envelop him even as it tried to pull Gaara away.

"That hurt!" Gaara shouted once the two were a good distance from each other.

"What, never been punched like that before?" taunted the older fighter even as he brushed the dirt and sand off his fist.

While the kid came off as a murderous psychopath, he couldn't be all bad – some of that had to be the result of him housing a demon.

'With all the sand around him, I can't get a good look at the seal that was used on him. I'm going to need to knock him out.' Rolling his neck, he took a step forward then vanished. Most would assume that he was merely inhumanly quick rather than trying to erase his presence. The sand and the kid could sense killing intent and would put up a barrier to hamper any such attack, but it would not be able to sense Ranma as he removed any trace of emotion from his being. All he needed to do was avoid touching the sand until the last possible second.

Instinctively the kid was protecting his back, trusting his ninja trained intuition that an attack would be coming from his blindside. Frantically Gaara glanced around, trying to find any trace of his opponent.

Ranma timed his punch perfectly, leaping into the air just before Gaara's sand and connecting with the boy's chin just as he turned towards his invisible opponent. His punch pierced the brittle defense before connecting with the dry skin of the youth. For a moment Gaara was airborne, his vaunted sand unable to brace him for the inevitable impact with the ground.

As Gaara's crumpled form lay on the ground the sand rushed to him, adding bulk to his limbs and body. A sinister laugh filled the arena floor. It was not the laughter of a teenage boy, but a menacing and terrible laugh that sent chills up the spines of most present. "Thank you for putting the boy to sleep," the bijuu said as its face was forming out of Gaara's sand. "For now I, Shukaku am free!"

Never one to be intimidated easily, Ranma leapt into action. He hoped that he'd gotten the Shadow Clone technique down pat after having Naruto show it to him just once. Performing the simple hand gesture, he smirked as he created one clone. Unlike the water clone technique which gave the clones access to only a fraction of his ki reserves, the shadow clone required him to split his full reserves with it, though should it be dispelled any remaining energy came back to him along with all of its memories.

"Look, I get that you're not a happy camper," Ranma said as he circled around the bijuu, "but we're not the ones to take it out on."

"Humph, you puny humans are all alike," Shukaku said as he focused his eyes on Ranma.

"I'm nothing like the rest of them," Ranma retorted. "I'm the best martial artist of my generation."

"I've seen countless generations of your kind in my life." An arm of sand swiped at the arrogant martial artist only to miss widely.

"But have you seen anyone as good as me?" His bright smile never left his face, helping to infuriate the beast all the more.

"Stay still maggot!"

"I'm no maggot, I'm Ranma Saotome. By the time we're done you'll remember my name." The beast was growing larger than Ranma expected. Clearly its growth was not limited by the amount of sand that Gaara carried around with him.

"Man, maybe it's me, because, you know, I'm human, but you're pretty ugly," he added as he circled around the beast. "What are you anyways?"

"I'm a tanuki!"

"Ok." He paused a moment to get a better look at the Shukaku, "Yeah, pretty ugly for a tanuki."

"Shut up!" Shukaku shouted, lasting out with another sandy appendage at the irritant.

"I get that you're not happy being pent up inside the kid," Ranma ceded, "but that's no reason for you to be so worked up."

"Shut up!"

With how enraged Shukaku was, Ranma did not need to get it too worked up lest he end up killing everyone in the arena. "Damn, it must be all that sand, but you're pretty damn slow."

"You arrogant little human, do you think that you can dance around me forever?" the tanuki launched itself at Ranma.

Seeing an opening, Ranma's shadow clone shot a glowing sphere of condensed ki at Shukaku. Despite its size, the bijuu was nimble enough to dodge the attack, leaving a small hole in the ceiling.

For such a large creature, Shukaku landed nimbly. Its eyes locked on Ranma with an odd look of curiosity and caution. "You are correct," it ceded, "you are not like the others."

Sensing the shift in mood, Ranma dispelled his clone, "And you're not actually an ugly tanuki."

Shukaku's lip curled, "I hope you can continue to amuse me." Reaching out with a sandy appendage it swiped at the fleet-footed warrior.

Fighting his instincts, Ranma stood his ground. The wave of sand flowed around him, ever actually touching him as he focused on emitting an aura of ki that disrupted the chakra infused sand.

"It is as I had surmised," grumbled Shukaku. "I will not fight you."

Something about his ki had affected the bijuu. It had been the same with Kurama in that brief moment when he had gone inside of Naruto and met the demon fox. Both were formidable creatures with chakra reserves that dwarfed Saffron and Herb combined, yet they had relented.

The sand quickly receded, leaving just enough to slowly lower an unconscious Gaara to the ground.

"Winner – Ranma Saotome!" Anko announced.

He had expected the other members of the Sand squad to come and retrieve their comrade, instead they and their jonin were simply too shocked to do anything, forcing Ranma to aid the boy by carrying him up to the rafters.

"He's like me," Naruto said. The blond was the first to reach the pair.

"Yeah," Ranma replied.

"He must have been so lonely."

"Let him rest," Ranma finally said as he set the redhead down.

Kankuro nodded even as he gave the pigtailed martial artist an odd look.

The Shikamaru Nara and the final member of the Mist squad were paired off, a forgettable affair given what had just occurred in the bout before theirs. Despite being locked in a genjutsu the young Leaf ninja had managed to best his opponent using a family bloodline or technique.

The match up of Shino Aburame versus Temari of the Sand was much more interesting as the bug user and the wind user used a variety of tricks.

"What's the deal with spandex boy and the Uchiha?" Ranma asked his newest ally as they watched the bug user and the last of the Sand squad.

"They got into a bit of a fight before the first stage of the exam," Neji replied. "Lee was the Dead Last of my graduating class; he wants to prove that hard work alone is enough to overcome genius."

"You're not interested in the match but the coming match?" Kankuro scoffed at the genins' slight.

"They're beneath me," the arrogant Neji replied.

"You think you're all that just because you've advanced to the finals of the exam?" the puppeteer spat out.

"The blond is too slow," surmised Ranma. "It doesn't help that she is using a fan that's huge and obvious and telegraphs her attacks."

The sand puppeteer grunted, unable to actually make any counter points.

"Huh," he pigtailed martial artist returned his focus on the next and last pairing. "It's possible, but only if your opponent doesn't work hard, but that assumes that the prodigy doesn't work hard to improve their skills."

"Fuzzy brows is fast," Naruto ceded, "but Sasuke's gotten better."

The recently awakened Sakura and Ino nodded in agreement. "Sasuke can't lose."

Ranma shrugged, "There's only so much one can improve in a few days, even with eyes that can copy other people's techniques."

"It only works on techniques that require hand signals and if they have that elemental affinity," Neji corrected.

"He'd have to know the basics of my art," Kankuro interjected.

For a moment Ranma considered what the Sand ninja claimed.

"While he might be able to mimic the Gentle Fist but he would lack the understanding to actually use our techniques which require the Byakugan to perform," Hinata added. Since her bout with Naruto she had stood by his side even as the usually hyperactive blond seemed to be relatively subdued.

Neji nodded. "Looks like that's the match."

The variety of bugs that Shino controlled gave him an advantage over Temari as his special chakra draining bugs finally latched onto her. "Winner – Shino Aburame!"

Though most of the bouts had been less than interesting or had been one-sided, everyone gathered hoped for more out of the last bout as Sasuke Uchiha and Rock Lee claimed the arena. Even the Head Proctor could sense the tension in the air as she eyed the contestants and instructed them of the rules of the bout.

"Begin!"

Lee was the quicker of the two as he dashed in, only to pivot to his left as Sasuke moved to meet his charge. Lee opened with a punch, but was countered with a punch by Sasuke, shifted his punch to grab his opponent's wrist and connected with an elbow to the younger ninja's throat.

The smaller Sasuke quickly disengaged, throwing a kick as he flipped back. While Lee took a step back, it was to plant his feet so that he could rush at his slower opponent and taking advantage of the fact that his opponent took his eyes off of him. A swift kick to the back sent Sasuke flying then skidding and bouncing off the hard arena floor.

"When facing a faster opponent, you should always keep your eyes on then." Haku's commentary was not necessary for the skilled and experienced fighters such as Ranma and Neji but for those who were not close combat specialists.

"He's using his eyes," Hinata added, "but he can't keep up with Lee's speed."

"Kick his ass Sasuke!" Sakura shouted as her teammate sprang to his feet.

"What good is the Sharingan against someone who isn't using jutsu?" Kankuro asked. The puppeteer was clearly fishing for information.

Naruto shrugged.

"He's in a Gentle Fist stance," Hinata stated.

"Does he think he can merely mimic Neji?" Tenten asked.

Sasuke's psychological ploy failed as Lee rushed in and connected with punch, though Sasuke was able to block the subsequent punches.

"He's getting used to Lee's speed," Ino stated triumphantly as the spandex clad ninja disengaged. "Sasuke's got this in the bag!"

As Lee moved to engage again he was greeted by steel as Sasuke seemed to anticipate his path.

Neji shook his head, "His eyes have adjusted to Lee's speed, but he can't match Lee's speed."

As if to prove Neji's point Lee seemingly vanished from only to appear directly behind Sasuke turned to keep the blur of a ninja in his sights, delivering a punishing kick to the back of the younger ninja's head. His speed was incredible, but he was transferring too much force into his blows as evidenced from the way Sasuke was sent flying. Visually it appeared impressive as Lee seemed to bounce around Sasuke, kicking and punching him, but Ranma knew that Lee was wasting too much energy while Sasuke was reducing the effectiveness of the attacks by blocking or shifting his body to better absorb the blow at the last moment.

The setting did not favor Sasuke as the wide open arena provided nothing close to his size that he could use to pull off the body replacement technique and Lee knew it. With Sasuke slowly adapting to the speed difference it was all the more important for Lee to finish the fight quickly.

'His speed is impressive, but his hand speed is less than stellar,' the cursed martial artist thought as he watched the progression of the fight. 'Taking up a weapon would mean that he knows he cannot defeat Sasuke as he is. What will he do now?'

As if he were reading Ranma's mind, Lee's jonin sensei slammed a hand onto the railing. "Lee, I give you permission – you must fight to protect your ninja way."

Lee broke away, a look of grim determination in his eyes.

'He was holding back?' Ranma's thoughts were likely mirrored by most of those in attendance.

Landing a good distance from the battered Sasuke, Lee reached for his ankle weights. Normal weights would slow you down but they would also add weight to your blows. Leave it to ninja to create weights that simply impaired one's chakra so as to keep you from going all out. The sealed weights that Lee released were enough to create a small crater in the concrete floor, an incredible thing considering that he dropped the weights from only knee height.

The second that the weights hit the ground Lee again vanished from normal sight as his speed had suddenly increased. His only fault had been in putting significant distance between himself and his opponent while taking off the weights as Sasuke had been given just enough time to gather his chakra and preformed a last ditch jutsu while everyone else was focused on Lee. The quick transformation into a naked Sakura brought a yell of protest from the real Sakura even as Lee lost control of the chakra he was channeling into his legs, causing him to misstep. It was all the opening that Sasuke needed as his punch connected with the still charging Lee.

"What the hell are you teaching your genin?" Zabusa muttered, this time at Kakashi as the grey haired jonin shook his head at the passed out Lee.

"I don't think the punch mattered much," Ranma added as he noted the blood spurting from Lee's broken nose.

"Winner – Sasuke Uchiha!" an amused Anko proclaimed.

"LEE!" the leader of the genin cried out as he carried the unconscious boy back to the rafters.

"I guess there are just somethings that are too difficult to overcome," muttered Tenten.

"Will all the winners please come down?" the Head Proctor asked as she surveyed the group. All ten genin suddenly appeared on the arena floor, glad to have completed the second exam. "Congratulations – the ten of you have completed the Second Stage of the Chunin Exam. You have one month to prepare for the final Stage of the Chunin Exam." She turned her head to another Jonin.

The brown haired jonin seemed to blend into the background, typical of most skilled ninja who did not want to stand out despite their attire. Chewing on a straw he sighed as he stood before them. "I am Genma Shirani and I will be the Head Proctor of the Third and Final Stage of the Chunin Exam." He stared down at the genin as though he were getting a second appraisal of the. "As some of you may know, the Third Stage is a tournament. Each of you will be pitted against one of the others, the winner will advance to face another winner and so on until finally one of you emerges victorious. Winning the tournament does not guarantee that you will be promoted, it just means that the Kage who oversee the matches have more to judge you on. It is the Kage from your respective village who will decide if you are worthy of being promoted to Chunin."

He let his words sink in to the mostly rookie genin. "You have one month to prepare yourselves. Your jonin sensei will make arrangements for you to use one of our many training grounds as well as for your lodging for the month. Your teammates will remain with you to aid in your training as well. If you have any further questions, please consult with your jonin sensei."

Again he paused, this time to pull out ten straws. "You will be drawing lots to determine who your opponent is. As you can see, we've already displayed a bracket upon the display behind me."

They looked up to see the bracket – two preliminary bouts for those who drew 1, 2, 9 and 10 to decide who advanced to a quarterfinal bout where the rest of the field would be placed, and the winners would then advance to a semifinal bout, and the final bout to determine the ultimate winner.

"Draw a straw," Genma instructed them as he approached Homura first.

"Number 10," the kunoichi stated as she pulled one out.

The jonin moved down the line to Tenten. "Number 6," he announced.

"Number 8" Kankuro

"Number 5" Kiri

"Number 9" Naruto had an odd look on his face as he looked at the girl who shared the same familial name as him.

"Number 2" Neji

"Number 4" Ranma smirked as he was now offered a chance to avenge his teammate.

"Number 7" Shikamaru sighed as he considered the girl he was to face.

"Number 1" Shino had an impassive face as he considered the cousin to his teammate.

"And finally Number 3" Sasuke smirked confidently as he considered his potential opponents.

"You have one month," Genma repeated. "Good luck."

* * *

The weight of the world caused the most intense throbbing neck and back pain, at least that was what the current Hokage thought as he looked at the piles of paperwork that came with his office. He had expected a degree of chaos with the Chunin Exam given that Naruto Uzumaki was participating in it, but things had gotten far worse when his former pupil was suspected of having been involved as well. Fortunately there had been no trace of any of Orochimaru's Cursed Seals on Sasuke Uchiha, though the last Uchiha did not seem to know why. Currently they were unable to test him until after the completion of the Second Stage and even then it would take a day or two before the results were in. That issue paled in comparison to the fact that Naruto Uzumaki had revealed his status as a Jinchuriki during a bout with the young heiress to the Hyuga. While the jonin in attendance had moved to prevent the genin from hearing, there had also been two foreign jonin at the arena. The old Hokage could feel beginning of a terrible headache brewing.

Just as the dog that delivered the message vanished, another summoned animal appeared. "Lord Hokage!" The little monkey was likely from his nephew who also had a squad in the Chunin Exam.

"Baba," he returned, suppressing a sigh, "I already heard about Naruto Uzumaki."

"That is not what I am here to report," the lanky monkey stated. "I bring word that one of the genin from Sand is their Jinchuriki for Shukaku."

The headache quickly went from forming to full-blown migraine.

"The Jinchuriki lost control and Shukaku emerged but submitted to the genin Ranma Saotome," Baba added quickly.

'Ranma Saotome? Why does that name sound familiar? Is it not the name of the girl that fought by Kakashi and Team 7's side in defense of the bridge builder?' He reached for the file of foreign genin then for the mission file that Kakashi had submitted. The clothes matched even though the figures were distinctly different. Still, it was possible for ninja to transform themselves yet most who bothered to would have opted to change clothes as well as their forms. "Have the proctors and squad leaders that were there report to me immediately."

* * *

A/N

I'm going to leave things here for now. Still need to finish my taxes.

Dreamingfox


	6. Chapter 6

For a village full of ninja, Konoha had a good number of civilians as the ninja population was perhaps only a third of the entire population. Only the genin and maybe a few chunin allowed themselves to be seen, but Ranma could sense the presence of the jonin and ANBU who were trying to spy on him. It was why he was glad to leave the village proper to train in preparation for the finals of the Chunin Exam.

"Ranma," a now familiar voice greeted him as the martial artist stepped onto the street.

"Neji," he returned the greeting and show of respect.

"You are headed to a training ground," Neji said as he stated the obvious. "I am headed that way as well."

They walked in relative silence until they were sure that no one was within hearing range or was watching them closely.

"You seem unconcerned with who you will be facing in the first round," the younger fighter stated. 'The jonin and ANBU are watching you,' he signed. 'Do they suspect that you tampered with the match-ups?'

"I am looking forward to beating that Kiri guy's face in," he replied. 'Someone else was trying to influence the matches.' "You're not concerned that your opponent has your cousin on his squad?" He could sense the Leaf ninja as they attempted to spy on him, thought they were clearly aware of the range of his senses and made an effort to not alarm him.

"You're not training with your teammates?" 'Stay away from Naruto and Sasuke, they are also being watched.'

Ranma shrugged, "You're not training with your teammates."

"Tenten is training with Lee as she needs to improve her close combat skills - they are training with Gai-sensei."

"And you're not?"

"I was wondering if you would train with me," Neji stated. He was a prideful ninja, so unused to asking for help.

"Sure, fine." Clearly the response was not what the other ninja had expected. "You're probably the best of the lot at fighting – and I mean fighting, not that stupid jutsu stuff. Well, you and Lee are leagues ahead of the rest – and you're not as likely to be distracted by a set of tits, so I figure I might actually be able to break a sweat sparring with you."

As a foreign ninja he was allowed to use the training grounds, but only those within the walls of Konoha.

"Ready?" he asked Neji as he set his weapons aside.

Neji nodded. In an instant the younger ninja was on him. A palm strike to the chest flew wide of its mark as Ranma deftly dodged. A series of two fingered thrusts followed the nimble martial artist though they all fell short of their desired mark.

Ranma countered with a low sweep forcing Neji to back away least he have his legs taken out from beneath him. "Your style – the Gentle Fist – it doesn't use kicks," he observed. "That limits your attacks and makes it easier for an experienced opponent to read your movements."

He waited as Neji considered his words, "Well, come on, or have you gassed out already?"

Gritting his teeth, Neji leapt into action. Again he opened with a palm strike then moved into two and three fingered thrusts, each aiming for where a chakra point was supposed to be but failing to find their mark on the elusive Saotome.

"You should try throwing punches when your feet aren't set," he advised the other ninja. "It's not as powerful but if you're using the Gentle Fist it's still effective and makes you less predictable."

"You never throw a punch or kick when you're out of position."

"Because I'm faster than you so I can afford to use proper form. When you're actually on my level then I'll use some of those tricks."

It was clear that Neji did not like to think of any of those in his age group as being better than him but the facts did not lie. Still, Ranma's remark was enough to get the ninja to use more than just his fighting skills. Stepping back into a now familiar stance, the younger ninja used his body to obstruct Ranma's view before he attacked with a double palm strike. Rather than simply dodging, Ranma actually took to the air as the ground beneath him erupted beneath him.

"Almost" he managed to get out before seeing the column of flames enveloped him. It was a sound tactic. Had the fight occurred back in Nerima the flames would have at least burned his clothes but here, the strange energy that filled this world allowed Ranma to put together a modest defensive aura that protected him from the chakra fueled flames just as it had protected him from Gaara's sand. Though he was robbed of oxygen for a few second, the flames also provide him with cover, allowing him to surprise Neji with a flying kick to the face that put an end to his attack. "Almost," he reiterated with a confident grin.

Rubbing his face, Neji shook his head, "That is all I can muster for today."

Ranma shrugged, "Fine. We can get some dinner. Do you know any buffets?"

* * *

The Finals of the Chunin Exams couldn't come soon enough for the proud martial artist. While the first week or so had allowed him to test himself against Neji and some of the genin who had failed to reach the finals of this exam, Ranma had quickly grown wiry of the sparring as it soon became evident that he was leagues ahead of them. Even with them spamming their various jutsu against him, Ranma never felt the need to reciprocate – not with a dozen or so jounin constantly watching his every move. In the final week of training before the exams he even took it upon himself to try to evade the jounin so as to give himself some sort of challenge as he also tried to take note of the defenses around the village. From what little he and Neji had gathered, the Leaf Village was aware of a threat, but not the exact scope of things. Zabuza was busy dealing with the security for the leader of the Waterfall (who though a respected ninja leader was not allowed to use the title of Kage) as all of the leaders of each nation with a genin still participating in the final stage of the exams were expected to attend. Each leader was allowed to bring five body guards, usually ninja of the jonin rank.

The village itself was busy not just with their own security, but with the increased number of visitors that came to the village to view the spectacle. Many lords, notable merchants, and other dignitaries were expected to attend, each requiring their own amenities and security. Genin squads were running around the village doing odd jobs while those ranked chunin and above were secretly moving around dealing with the various security issues.

He could sense the tension in the air as the Leaf nin tried to hide the fact that they suspected an attack was imminent and did not want to tip off their unknown opponents.

The stadium was fairly well built with solid walls concrete walls at least a meter thick. There were three tiers of seats – a lower tier for the Proctors and one section for the participants was to closest to the stadium floor a good 20 meters off the ground, a middle tier for general spectators that had enough seating for close to two thousand that was fortymeters up, and an upper tier for the village leaders and their personal entourages that was sixty meters up.

Even from the ground level Ranma could tell that the entire stadium was full, though there was still room for Sasuke and one more jounin in the lower tier. There were too many ninja present for him to pinpoint them all at a glance. Not all were active ninja, though most were working or on duty at least.

"You ready?" Homura asked.

"Eh," he shrugged. "I could win this in my sleep."

"Looks like we're all here," the lone genin from Mist stated.

"This is what, your first time in the finals?" Ranma asked. Having stolen the double agent's information cards Ranma already knew more about Kiri then he should have any right to know. "You've participated in what, six Chunin Exams and only reached this stage once."

The pale skinned Kiri blinked. "You'll go down quicker than your friend."

Before either could say anything the Mist jounin placed his hand on Kiri's shoulder, "It's about to begin."

The genin were paraded out onto floor of the stadium to be presented to the crowd and their respective leaders.

Rather than listening to the opening speech Ranma instead focused on the various chakra signatures. From the information he'd gathered from the double agent, he was sure that the assault on the Leaf was set to take place soon. Had their plans changed once the agent and his team were eliminated?

"First preliminary match" the Head Proctor declared, "Shino Aburame of the Leaf vs Neji Hyuga of the Leaf."

The other genin quickly teleported off of the field and into their reserved staging area as the named genin faced off. A roar of approval filled the stadium as the crowd eagerly turned their attention on the two fighters while the Head Proctor explained the rules of the engagement. It was a straight forward fight – subdue your opponent or have them surrender.

Neji's straightforward style was pitted against the multitude of tricks that Shino's bugs provided him. While the older genin had an edge in hand to hand, the chakra draining bugs could negate and gentle fist.

Both genin knew the strengths of their opponent, but only one had trained with Ranma over the past month. The old Neji Hyuga was proud but defiant wanting only to prove himself as the best at the Hyuga style of fighting but now he knew the futility of relying on just one approach. That he opened with a barriage of kunai was smart, that he had added explosive tags that filled the arena floor with mist was surprising. While the mist did not obscure anyone's vision it did limit the effectiveness of any airborne bugs. It was no smoke bombs but such tactics were frowned upon as they limited the spectators' enjoyment. Rather than rushing in, Neji struck the ground, sending a powerful jolt of electrical energy through the stadium floor.

"He can use Lightning jutsu!"

Despite himself, Ranma smirked as many in the crowd gasped in awe of the young Hyuga prodigy. Neji had not used that trick against him while they trained.

Of the prospective chunin in the staging area it was Sasuke who tried to play it the coolest though Ranma knew that the kid was concerned. Everyone had picked Neji to advance and be Sasuke's next opponent.

Though he was loathed to do so, Shino responded with a series of fire jutsu – adding fire to his own weapon attacks to keep his opponent at bay.

Again Ranma smirked. 'He's giving Shino a chance to shine.'

And shine Shino did as he displayed great battle awareness and tactics as he countered Neji's offense with imaginative defense. Still the gap in abilities was too great and the stoic bug user was forced to concede after being tagged with a pair of stunning lightning kicks.

"Winner – Neji Hyuga!"

A roar of approval filled the stadium.

The contestants for the other preliminary bout appeared in the stadium floor, both eager to prove themselves regardless of any possible relation.

"Second Preliminary Match – Naruto Uzumaki of the Leaf vs Homura Uzumaki of Waterfall." A murmur passed through the older spectators. The Uzumaki had once been a powerful clan and even been the leaders of their own village but had nearly been wiped out during the last great ninja war. That two of them were about to face off seemed almost as interesting as a bout between the Hyuga and Uchiha. "Begin!"

Homura vanished in a flash - closing the distance with her younger clansman. Gripping three of her custom katana in each hand she struck only to find that her opponent had multiplied. Where there had once been only Naruto, there were now seven of him. Two of them were blocking Homura's katanas even as two more moved to pin her legs, allowing a fifth to move in with a swift kick.

Naruto's efforts were quickly undone as Homura increased her fiery chakra output, burning through the the five clones before returning her attention to the remaining clone and original. Still, the moment's delay was enough for Naruto as the spunky youth had managed to create a sphere of chakra in one hand with the aid of the final clone.

Even from where he stood Ranma was impressed with the pure power that the brat had managed to mold in such a short span. The clones had been a distraction and defense, allowing the time needed to gather and mold the massive chakra and providing him with an opening to strike with it.

"Rasengen!"

Using the ball of chakra as an extension of his hand, Naruto drove it into Homura's stomach. The resulting explosion sent her flying back into the distant wall, a good fifty meters back from where Naruto had attacked her. Only it was not Homura who hit the wall, but a log. Still, the attach had connected enough that her gi had been ripped to shreds, exposing her breasts and mesh armor beneath.

"I see that I can't mess around with you like I did with your teammate," Homura muttered as she performed several quick hand seals while rushing to engage again. Her normal dark brown hair took on a crimson hue as she increased the amount of chakra she was expending.

Naruto had not been idle as Homura charged him. More clones filled the arena floor. Unlike the first batch, the current crop of clones used their kunai and throwing stars in a coordinated effort to wear down Homura. Leaping back the kunoichi unleashed a blast of intense flame, burning away the rest of the clones and igniting the grass and lone tree in the arena floor.

Rushing up the side of the wall in an impressive display of chakra control, Naruto managed to avoid the attack though only a handful of his clones had been close enough to the wall to avoid being roasted. Leaping off the wall they unleashed a barrage of kunai and other projectile weapons at the kunoichi. It was clear that Naruto lacked the finesse and skill that the more experienced Homura possessed but he made up for it with numbers. For every five strikes she landed against one of his clones they managed to return the favor. It was a battle of attrition between the two cousins.

Finally there was but two before here – one aiding the other in performing the Rasengen again. Unwilling to let him land that attack on her again, she blasted the pair with another Fire jutsu only to have the attack blocked with the Rasengen while the clone vanished. She did not let up until the sphere vanished from the younger ninja's hand. Charging in, she struck home, only to have the boy deflect one swipe with a kunai and capture her other hand in his. Suddenly the ground beneath them erupted as the real Naruto emerged, a glowing ball of chakra in his hand. The fierce uppercut delivered the Rasengen to her stomach, sending her flying into the air nearly reaching the general seats.

In a flash Ranma was beside Homura, catching his unconscious teammate and saving her from a hard landing.

"Winner – Naruto Uzumaki of the Leaf!"

Only those not from the Leaf cheered in appreciation of the genin's hard fought victory, though a few of the younger Leaf genin also cheered their peer.

Had he not been preoccupied with securing Homura, Ranma might have thought about the odd reaction by the Leaf citizens at one of their own winning on such a grand stage.

Ranma barely paid attention to the next bout between the genius ninja and the weapons specialist kunoichi. While Tenten was skilled with her weapons she appeared to be too reliant on her weapons and wasn't even as skilled as Mousse.

"She's out," Ranma declared to the fake Zabuza.

Haku, posing as Zabuza, merely glanced at her injury before shrugging, "She'll be fine. I'll take her to the infirmary to rest up."

He was glad when the bout between Shikamaru and Tenten finally ended. That the shadow user had voluntarily surrendered was interesting but understandable as he had proven himself in his one bout and did not feel the need to compete any further. He barely waited for the subtle signal from the Head Proctor before leaping into the arena.

So focused was he that he failed to register anything that the Head Proctor with the exception of "Begin!"

With startling speed, Ranma drove his fist into Kiri's stomach. He managed six hundred and twelve punches before the Mist ninja crashed into wall and the Head Proctor had to intervene. The crowd was stunned into silence as they tried to process what had just occurred.

"Winner – Ranma"

All hell broke loose as murderous intent filled the stadium. The stunned spectators were now asleep as someone had performed a mass genjutsu on the crowd with only the jounin and a few capable lower ranked ninja able to resist.

"The Fourth Mizukage is dead!" someone shouted.

"The Three-tails has emerged!"

"Get the civilians to safety!"

The murderous rage intensified.

Disregarding the jounin before him, Ranma ran up the wall towards the stage where the village heads had been watching the bouts. It was no surprise that Zabuza was in the midst of the chaos, but now the Hokage and the person who had been masquerading as the Kazakage were fighting.

"Subdue the Three-tails!" one of the many masked ninja shouted. "The Hokage can handle himself for now."

Though the man's face was different, Ranma was sure he knew who the ninja fighting the Hokage was – that creepy ninja from the exams that had eluded him, the guy that double agent ninja had been working for…. Damn, what was his name again?

"I'll get Homura," Zabuza signaled as he cut down the last of the Mist ninja. "You beat the one tails - maybe you can slow down the Three-tails."

"Did you"

"He died before I could do anything," Zabuza stated. "It was the Kazakage or at least the guy pretending to be him." That Zabuza was not fighting the Mizukage's guard suggested that there was some truth to that. "I will escort Shibuki to safety."

"Can you deal with the Three-tails?" one of the leaf anbu asked.

"Sure, why not?" the cursed martial artist shrugged. "Homura's in the infirmary."

"I'll get her," Neji stated as he briefly appeared at the ledge.

"Hey Shell-head!" that immediately drew the tailed beast's attention. "You look like a fish out of water with all that flopping around."

As if to prove that he/she/it wasn't, the creature propelled itself at him with its front legs.

Slipping under the obvious attack Ranma countered with a kick that sent the creature cashing over the ledge and into the arena floor. Sliding down the wall, Ranma took his time to evaluate the situation. All around him the Sound and Sand ninja that had been hiding amongst the spectators were fighting the Leaf ninja.

Shino was fighting the lone Sand genin to reach the final stage in a corner of the arena while Naruto and Sasuke were dealing with the Sand genin's recently arrived teammates. Around them the other Leaf genin were escorting/evacuating the spectators.

"You know, those guys know about your invasion plans," Ranma stated as he landed on the arena floor. "I guess you guys changed your plans around to have the Three-tails distract most of the Leaf's ninja while your forces mount an attack on the village walls?"

"I am no one's tool!" the beast cried out as it turned to focus on the trio of Sand ninja. Though it was now the size of a small house the beast was still growing, forcing the genin to scatter to avoid its thrashing tails.

"While I'd love to see two of the tailed beasts fighting, I'm pretty sure that there's a better time and place for that," Ranma stated.

"Stand down," Gaara ordered his siblings as they regrouped.

Both of them blinked in surprise.

"What?" Temari exclaimed.

"We cannot beat him," Gaara stated as his eyes darted towards Ranma.

"They assassinated your Kazakage," Ranma stated. "Looks like the Sound are just using you."

"Kankuro, signal the others," Gaara ordered.

"You're not even going to"

The redhead shook his head, "No, I'll trust his word."

The puppeteer scowled as he reluctantly directed his puppet to shoot flares into the sky over the stadium.

"As recompense we will deal with the Three-tails," Gaara added. To prove his point he directed his sand shielded them from a powerful jet of water.

The beast's attacks had duel purposes – an obvious attack and a means to fill the arena so as to hamper its opponents as well as give it an edge in mobility. Given the size of the stadium it would take a considerable amount of water to fill though it was perhaps a reason why the beast had not grown to its full size.

Ranma glanced at the others, "It's not my fight but I don't like endangering civilians."

"Fine," Sasuke replied. "Naruto – you help them. The rest of us are going to assist in the evacuation of the civilians."

"We've got company," Ranma stated as two figures descended upon them.

"What are you doing?!" the Sand jounin demanded. "Why did you give the signal for retreat?"

"The Kazukage was killed by our ally," Temari stated as her brothers engaged the tailed beast. "They are no longer our allies."

Acting on instinct, he slashed at the sound ninja beside him only for to have the figure block the strike with a short blade.

"You will serve your propose – or you will die!" the Sound ninja proclaimed completely ignorant of the fact that he was alone in the midst of enemy ninja.

"I'll take on Sound guy," Ranma declared, leaping at the lone Sound ninja. Before anyone could say otherwise he was between the two jounin.

"You're a fool – do you really think that a mere genin can best me?" the masked ninja scoffed.

Rather than replying with a witty retort, Ranma instead opted to kick the Sound ninja in the stomach. "I'm pretty sure I could just beat you with both hands tied behind my back – but since this is an invasion and assault on the Leaf I guess I'll just say, 'Yes.'"

Not letting his opponent regain his feet, Ranma rushed in. Taking a page from Neji's playbook he jammed his finger into several chakra generating points on the ninja's arms and feet but infused them with his ki. While Neji's chakra blocked the tenketsu Ranma's ki ruptured them.

"Huh, I figured jounin would be tougher," mused the martial artist as his opponent let out a cry of pain. A swift kick knocked the ninja out.

There were many fights throughout the stadium but the handful of Leaf jounin seemed to be capable of dealing with the remaining Sound ninja. Still more were standing around the odd black pyramid that had formed over the top of the section of the stadium where the kage had been sitting.

"What's the situation?" Homura asked as she and Neji returned from the infirmary.

"There's a tailed beast on the loose," Ranma replied. "It's still dealing with the loss of its container…"

Homura paused. She understood better than anyone the significance of his words. She watched as the Sand siblings kept the creature's attention. "Give me an opening."

Ranma nodded.

With only a glance he signaled Neji and Haku. The pair dashed towards the three tailed turtle even as it spewed water at the trio of Sand ninja. By now there was enough water at the bottom of the arena that the lone tree was below the water line though there were a few more meters before it reached the lower level where the genin had waited for their bouts. Still, it was enough water that the beast could fully submerge itself even if the water barely provided it with little cover.

Breaking the wall or forcing the doors open was a bit beyond what he could do by himself as the stadium had been reinforced with chakra seals. It would take too much time for him to search out the seals and undo them. No, they needed another plan. "Explosive tags!"

Tenten nodded. Pulling out a scroll she pulled out dozens of tags. Each was attached to a kunai making them easier to throw. While she was not Mousse's equal, she had the option of adding explosives to her attacks.

"Don't aim for it, aim around it," Ranma instructed her as he grabbed several kunai. "We just want it focused on us."

A rain of blades descended upon the tailed beast, sinking into the water before detonating.

Mist filled the air as the beast emerged to try and deal with the new threat.

Under the cover of the ninja made mist Neji performed several hand seals. Electrical power crackled in the air about the young prodigy then arched from his hands and struck the water. While it lacked the voltage and power of a true bolt of lightning, it was still very effective as the beast thrashed about in pain. The other genin had managed to move away from the water as just before Neji had struck, ensuring that only the beast had taken the unavoidable hit.

Before the beast could focus its attention on Neji, Haku followed up with a chilling blast that began to freeze the water. Though slowed, the beast broke through the ice with ease. Still, it was not the ice that worried the beast but the cold.

Even with the freezing mist the beast was easy to make out. Gigantic chains shot out of Homura, entangling the beast.

"Protect her," Ranma urged the others even as the beast began to focus on her. With a glance at Haku he signaled 'Give us some cover.'

An unnatural fog filled the arena, obscuring the gathered ninja and the tailed beast from those seated above.

Homura's normally brown hair once again took on a crimson hue as she fought to wrangle the beast. "Don't disrupt the chains!"

"You heard her," Ranma said as he rushed in to engage the beast.

Gaara used his sand to block a thrashing tail, Kankuro used his puppet to engulf the beast in smoke, and Haku continued to freeze the water as Neji provided cover.

"Release me!" the beast demanded. "I am no tool!"

Despite the beast's fiercest attempts, it slowly shrunk as the chains that bound it somehow leeched its immense chakra reserves and transferred it to Homura. He could sense that the beast's power was far too much for her, but for the fact that she was diverting it to restrain the beast she would have been not have been able to contain him.

Finally nothing remained of the beast and the mysterious chakra chains that Homura had created vanished. "It's done."

* * *

Author's Notes -

I'm going to leave things here for now.

I know, it's been a while since I posted anything but this has been a hell of a year.

Thank you to everyone who has left reviews on this and other fics – it is really encouraging to know that people are enjoying the stories that I have shared here.

I will try to update more of my fics, but it is football season now and despite the underperformance of my Fantasy Football teams, I still need to put some effort into righting my record and turning around my seasons.

Thanks again.

Dreamingfox


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes –

Yes, in canon Naruto doesn't get the Rasengen until they encounter Tsunade. This isn't canon.

Ranma undid Orochimaru's seal on Naruto's seal during the second stage of the Chunin Exams – in canon it didn't happen until after the second stage was over and they were training for the final stage.

Oh, and Sasuke's seal is gone too thanks to Ranma.

* * *

Tension filled the air in the aftermath of the failed invasion of Konoha. Property damage and losses had been minimal thanks to the diligent preparations over the past month. The deaths of the Mizukage and Kasukage were significant (one of them had occurred in Konoha) as was the sealing of the three tailed beast after the death of its former host.

There were twice as many Leaf ninja as there were a combined Sand and Waterfall ninja and they were clearly not happy. Aside Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Tenten, and Shino the rest of the Leaf ninja were at least jounin level. That the Hokage was still standing was a good sign, though it was clear that the old man had seen better days. There were twice as many Leaf ninja as there were a combined Sand and Waterfall ninja and they were clearly not happy despite the level of cooperation that the foreign ninja had displayed.

"The seal is sound," the white haired ninja stated as he pulled away from Homura. "She managed to seal Isobu but she did not factor in the sheer amount of chakra that he is pushing into her. Her chakra pathways are not able to handle so much chakra at once. Were she not an Uzumaki she'd be dead already."

The ancient ninja frowned, glanced at the genin present and sighed. "This is Class S information – speak to no one about this."

The genin nodded somberly.

"As for you," he turned his gaze to the foreign nin.

"We will not speak to anyone about this," the leader of Whirlpool stated. "We are but a small village and though a jinchuuriki may bolster our forces, it would undoubtedly complicate things for us."

"That it would," the Hokage replied sagely.

"As a sign of our allegiance Team Zabuza will be loaned to the Leaf – though if we should need them"

"They will be sent back with any needed reinforcements," the Third Hokage finished.

It was a convenient deal that worked out well for Waterfall. With Ranma's good showing during the finals would increase business for the small ninja village, there were many who often opted to bypass the village because it was so far out of the way. Having a team in Konoha allowed them to pick up contracts that would normally go to Leaf ninja. There would likely be a fee taken out of course, but the added income would greatly benefit the small village.

The Leaf now had an expendable team to bolster their own forces, forces that had suffered losses while repelling the failed invasion and assassination attempt by Orochimaru and the Village of Hidden Sound. Staying in Konoha likely meant that they'd have a team or two shadowing/chaperoning them and that there were likely places that they could not go near but at least there was more to do here than there was in Waterfall.

* * *

It did not take Nabiki Tendo to point out that the lease agreement was very biased against him. Though he was not privy to what Naruto was paying for his apartment, it was clear that someone was committing highway robbery. Still, there were no other apartments that had been willing to lease out to foreign ninja, even if they were from an allied nation.

The apartment itself was a decent size but needed serious repairs. Windows were all cracked and refused to open, the doors were threatening to fall off the hinges, and it looked as though someone had been practicing their throwing against the walls and ceiling. It took the better part of a day for Ranma to repair the apartment and another night for him to place the necessary security precautions to keep prying eyes and ears from snooping on them. Yes, they were allies to the Leaf but privacy was still privacy.

"Nice work," Zabuza's gruff voice barely made it through the reinforced door.

"Wait until you see the inside," Ranma boasted the muscular man opened the door only to pause as he contemplated how he would fit through while his sword was still holstered onto his back.

"This place was made for civilians," Homura sighed as she set claimed her corner of the apartment. She had simply draped thick curtains from the ceiling to section off her portion of the apartment and neither of her new roommates had dared to venture into her area. Her 'room' happened to be the closest to the bathroom.

Haku had claimed an area adjacent to the kitchen and had placed a folding wall to section off his area leaving Ranma with the window closest to balcony.

While they had access to the roof, the apartment itself was barely large enough for the three of them.

"Here you go," Zabuza said as he tossed Ranma a package.

"What's this?" he dared to ask even as he caught it. Curiously, the cursed fighter opened the box to reveal a flack jacket in the Waterfall's colors.

"The boss thought that you deserved a promotion," the jounin stated. "You're in charge of the team while I escort the boss back to Hidden Waterfall."

"Do I really have to wear this?"

"You can wear a variation of it," the team leader replied.

Ranma shook his head. Ninja were supposed to be stealthy and sneaky. How the hell was he going to do that wearing foam blue and aqua?

"You've got a job," the shirtless jounin added. "It's a co-op with one of the rookie squads that you dealt with in the Chunin Exams. Here are the details" he tossed a scroll to Ranma. "You'll meet up with them an hour the shift change at the main gate."

Typical – just as he'd been about to unpack his things he had to pack up again to go out on the road.

All around them the village remained on high alert. To all appearances the village gate never closed but the ninja that guarded the gate had doubled. Though the regular civilians might not have been able to see or at least keep track of the jounin, they did notice the patrols of genin and chunin that moved around the village. While none of the invaders save for those in the stadium had made it past the wall, Orochimaru and his elite guard had managed to escape. The Sand jounin who had been in the stadium had managed to escape thanks to several reverse summon seals that they had each prepared in advance of the invasion, something that the Sound ninja had not done. Patrols moved throughout the village ensuring that none of the Sound or Sand had gone to ground in hopes for a second attack.

Even now the Konoha special ops teams were dealing with the bodies of the Sound ninja. They would likely spend the next month or two examining each ninja body to better understand the various jutsu and skill that each had so as to be better prepared for the next encounter. Fortunately it did not appear as though the Sound jounin were very capable, at least not compared to the Leaf ninja who had mopped the floor with them. Even outnumbered 3-1 in the stadium the Leaf jounin had suffered no casualties and only minor injuries. Along the wall where they had fought in equal numbers they had virtually slaughtered the invading forces. Still, the Sound ninja had some odd skills which made many wonder if Orochimaru had been secretly collecting survivors of various ninja clans with bloodlines or limits or if he were attempting to replicate them with his medical experiments.

The genin squad in question was led by the jounin kunoichi. The only girl on the team was Neji's cousin and Naruto's girlfriend – Hinata Hyuga. The loudmouth of the team was the boy with the dog and the silent brooding guy was the only one to advance to the third stage of the exams before losing to Neji.

"Yo!" Ranma greeted the other squad, "you must be Kurenai" Haku elbowed him "sensei."

The kunoichi nodded though her odd eyes remained on Ranma. "You've already met my team during the Chunin Exam, but we can discuss the mission once we're on the road."

Ranma already knew the mission details – several dozen people had gone missing over the past month near the Waterfall and Leaf boarder (thus the need for a join team from both villages). Initially it had been appeared to be just random villagers or travelers but then a lesser noble and his body guards had vanished. Given that there had not been a ransom for the missing noble suggested that this was not a typical kidnapping. Bandits were a possibility, especially near the boarders where the local lords and their militias rarely patrolled.

The mission was but an attempt to scout the Waterfall ninja, though it allowed them to scout the other genin squad as well. It was clear why Team Kurenai had been selected for this mission as each of the members had a different specialization in tracking – Hinata with her all seeing eyes, Kiba with his ninja dog, and Shino with his insects – all were trackers of sorts which could help them find the missing villagers and travelers.

"You guys are still practicing?" Kiba scoffed as he watched the Waterfall squad. For two days the Waterfall team had practiced their chakra control by walking on water, hanging upside down from tree branches, and throwing kunai at each other with their feet (with their shoes on) as they ran.

"Everything is practice," Ranma huffed. Despite his immense skill he had the smallest chakra reserves of his team.

"You're wasting chakra," the tattooed boy stated.

"That's only true if you spend more chakra then your body can produce," Hinata corrected. "It does not appear as though you use any chakra"

"That's the extent of his control," Haku interjected.

From the look on her face it was clear that Hinata was not convinced.

"Wanna spar?" Ranma asked.

"That wouldn't be advisable," Kurenai stated. "We're on a mission – it's best to not over-exert yourself. If you have so much pent up energy why not set the perimeter before we bed down for the night."

* * *

The region had seven small villages all overseen by a local lord who had established himself in a village on the Leaf side of the boarder separating Whirlpool and Leaf. All that separated Leaf from Whirlpool was a deep ravine far too wide for even a skilled ninja to leap across. Three bridges had been built by the local lord, and required that all merchants pay a small toll to cross the bridges. On the Whirlpool side there were two small villages each a day's walk from the toll bridges and a two day walk to the lord's castle village. On the Leaf side there were four small settlements, two within half a day's walk of the castle village, the other two within a day's walk of the toll bridges.

The local militia had already performed the basic tasks of interviewing the families of the missing, though the reliability of their accounts could be questioned as some had not been interviewed until after the local lord had begun to investigate after the disappearance of his son and escort.

While Team Kurenai had gone with the direct route of following the missing noble's scent trail via Kiba and his trusty dog, Team Waterfall had taken a different approach of investigating the tiny village and villagers. It did not help that Team Kurenai looked like ninja – Hinata and Kurenai with their distinctive eyes, Kiba with his familial tattoos, and Shino with his sun glasses – not to mention that each of them wore what would normally appear to be winter coats.

In contrast Team Waterfall blended in with the villagers easily with their plain clothes and lack of distinctive clan markings. They were to act as bait, traveling the small roads and paths that had yet to be hit while the other squad tried to pick up trails.

"I feel naked," Homura muttered as she walked the small road. Wearing a light wool kimono that accented her crimson hair she did not have her usual seven sheaths and katana.

"You look good," Ranma replied. Like his lover he was also wearing a kimono that accented the red hair of his female form.

The usually demure Haku in his soft blues walked between them. "We'll be fine."

The trio appeared to be unarmed but the truth was that Ranma had them store all their visible weapons in storage scrolls while keeping small weapons concealed within the folds of their traveling kimonos.

"Can you suppress your chakra?" Ranma asked the brunette turned redhead.

"I'll try," Homura replied. "It's been difficult since, you know."

Ranma gave a slight nod.

"There's no need to hide your presence," a voice proclaimed. "You're here because we wanted you to come here."

Two figures leapt onto the path – one before them and one behind them. Both wore black robes with red clouds, the high collars coming up to just beneath the eyes of each. Each was a good ten meters from the squad – just outside of close combat range but not for long.

"It looks like your former partner was right - there is a new host for the three tails," the shorter of the two stated. His high blond topknot was the ninja's most distinguishing feature though with the odd cloak it was hard to tell.

"The traitor has his uses," the taller of the two his voice was off as. The bulkier of the two, he stood behind the trio. His beady eyes scanned the Waterfall squad. "Though it is likely that he wanted to use us to extract a measure of revenge on these three for undoing his well laid out plans against his former village."

Both ninja were extremely powerful with immense chakra reserves though neither could match Homura's new reserves. Still, these two seemed to have better control over and likely to have highly developed skills. The taller of the pair had short brown hair that was slowly turning grey and wielded a large sword, his forehead protector had the marker for Stone country. The shorter of the pair had a hood and mask, his forehead protector marked him as a missing ninja from Waterfall.

"These guys are S-class missing nin," Homura stated.

"They're that good, huh," Ranma said as he assessed their chakra. "Gamma."

In unison the trio moved – Ranma let out a barrage of kunai at each of the missing nin, Homura pulled out a seal and Haku created massive walls of ice.

The blond ninja moved to evade only for the kunai thrown at him to explode and multiply when it was but a meter away. The same happened to his partner though instead of kunai the explosion brought about a rain of glue. Each responded differently – the swordsman standing behind his gigantic sword as a makeshift shield while the other nin blew the glue away with a combination of wind and fire jutsu.

The attack wasn't meant to actually cause harm but to test the opponent and create enough of an opening for his squad to retreat. Haku had been the first through his icy mirror and Homura had been right behind him.

Unfortunately the pressurized fire blast proved to be strong enough to crack the icy block before Ranma could follow his squad, leaving him alone to face the two missing ninja.

Each was as powerful as a fully powered up kage – the only other S-class ninja in the bingo books. "I've always wanted to know how I compare to an S-class."

The masked ninja paused, chuckling at the unflinching ninja before him. "What's your name?"

"Isn't it impolite to ask for someone's name without giving your own first?" Ranma teased.

"The brat's got a point," brown-hair remarked.

"The name's Kakuzu," the shorter missing nin stated.

The taller ninja smirked, "Negi the Unbreakable."

The introduction was but a formality as Ranma knew who the man was. There were few from Waterfall to have gained such notoriety. Kakuzu had once been regarded as the best of the Waterfall but he had failed a mission and come back in defeat to be imprisoned. That he had broken out of prison and slain the village elders as well as stole the village's forbidden techniques did not help matters. Had the squad that encountered him been any other Waterfall squad they would have likely stayed and fought until Kakuzu had killed them. But Ranma's squad was not like any other Waterfall squad.

"The name's Ranma Saotome."

"Is he in the book?" Negi asked Kakuzu.

"Never heard of him."

"Well, I'll make sure you never forget it, if you walk away from here that is." He glanced between the two even as he slowly moved so that he wasn't directly between the two. 'Haku mirror should have brought them back to the lord's castle. They should meet up with Kurenai's squad – that gives me at best 2 hours before they get back here since the mirror on this end is destroyed.' "Who's first?"

In a flash the taller of the two ninja was upon him, his gigantic sword coming down in a diagonal left to right slash. Having learned that it was best to not play around as he typically did back in Nerima, Ranma easily sidestepped the attack. The slash was followed up with a thrust from a hidden sword, forcing the martial artist back.

Given the size and reach of Negi's weapons it seemed clear that the ninja was skilled in the art of kenjutsu. While not a master himself, Ranma knew enough of bukijutsu to fight proficiently with weapons as well as how best to fight against them while unarmed. Disarming was the preferred option but that also meant that the ninja's hands would be free to perform hand seals. It was best to deal with the hands themselves.

After only thirty seconds of dodging, Ranma had grasped the range and speed of Negi's attacks. The former Stone ninja's unrelenting attacks left little opening for a counter but Ranma had many tricks up his sleeves. As the swordsman rushed in with the diagonal slash once again, the martial artist countered - he spit at his opponent, filling the man's face with a cloud of ground hot pepper. The moment of hesitation brought about as the rogue ninja assessed the threat, considered how best to handle it, and adjust his attack was enough for Ranma as he drove a kunai into Negi's left forearm as the missing ninja attempted to follow up his initial attack with another thrust of the shorter sword. The ground hot pepper was but a decoy for Ranma's first counter.

His senses alerted screamed in alarm as Kakuzu unleased a powerful fire and wind technique. Instinct and muscle memory pulled him out of the path of the powerful attack. His own resistance to heat and Soul of Ice allowed him to escape unscathed, but the same could not be said of the 'Unbreakable' Negi.

"What the fuck was that?!" Negi shouted as he emerged from the flames. Though his clothes had been burned off, he appeared to be unharmed.

"Would you just hurry it up? Time is money."

'Definitely an Earth type jutsu – probably to make himself harder than any weapon. He's likely tougher to crack than Ryoga.' "You're never going to hit me like that," taunted Ranma as he slammed Negi's short sword into a boulder and shattered it. "With workmanship like this you must be paying crap for your weapons – no wonder you think you're 'Unbreakable'."

Predictably Negi rushed him, proving Ranma's theory correct as the ninja was significantly slower now that he had his hardened skin.

"Are you really S-rank?" he asked as he slipped under a horizontal slash. His nimble fingers poked at Negi's exposed side and back as he moved so that he was no longer between the two rogue ninja. "I've seen snails faster than you."

"Shut up!" A slow back hand failed to connect.

"Time is money," Ranma replied as he danced away. Reaching into a pocket he pulled out an apple. "Do you mind if I eat while we fight?"

Kakuzu fumed in the distance while Negi tried but ultimately failed to reign in his temper. With every angry thrust and foolish slash evaded, Ranma's confidence grew even as his meal disappeared. Slowly he worked the man into a spiral pattern as he ate, allowing him to think that he was slowly pressing the younger ninja towards the other missing ninja. "Thanks for letting me get some lunch in."

Again Negi lunged at him. Ducking under the sloppy attack Ranma effortlessly ducked under the wild slash, leaving himself open for an attack from Kakuzu. Surprisingly the masked ninja opted to move away, though he landed within the spiral. The masked ninja was not above blasting his partner, which Ranma had hoped for but his interest in Ranma seemed to outweigh his desire for a quick end to the fight.

Ranma continued to lead Negi into the spiral, staging it so that Kakuzu was directly behind him as he took the final step. Like a puppet dancing for the puppeteer two masks emerged from the ninja's shoulder even as Negi leapt with a horizontal slash. No one would have been able to avoid both the slash and the twin elemental bast. The one on Kakuzu's left emitted a blast of fire even as the mask on the right emitted a blast of air. Ranma ducked under the slash and unleashed a chilling punch into the air. Though the ninja's combined attack was not as hot as Saffron's flames it was more than enough when combined with Negi's rage to fuel the Heaven's Blast.

Before either ninja knew what was happening they were sucked into the air just as Kakuzu's flames reached Ranma. He watched as both were lifted and thrown around the tornado. Rather than allow the Heaven's Blast to do all the work, Ranma threw himself into the fierce winds and set himself upon a collision course with the more dangerous of the duo. Though Naruto had only explained the theory behind his Rasengen, Ranma felt that he had enough of the principles down to repeat the attack. He was already capable of blasting ki from his hands but having the discipline to control it in the palm of his hand, plus adding rotational direction and condensing it had been harder to perform. What had taken Naruto weeks had only taken Ranma a few days.

To Ranma's surprise Kakuzu was able to dodge ever so slightly so that instead of having Ranma's had rip through his chest Ranma instead connected with the mask on his left shoulder. 'He expected me to come after him.' That thought was enough for his body to pull away as the grey threads that connected Kakuzu to his odd masks seemed to take a life of their own and moved to entangle him. Releasing his jutsu so that the force of his ki powered attack detonated and destroying the closest threads and the fire mask while also flinging the two apart.

A master of the air without the actual ability to fly, Ranma managed to land on the ground well before the tornado died out. Both missing ninja landed hard though aside from being dizzy from being tossed around Negi appeared none the worse while his partner had clearly had better days. From the brief contact he had with the mask Ranma had a better understanding of his opponent. Somehow the man had been able to repress his chakra even as he attacked with such powerful elemental releases.

Suddenly Kakuzu was standing before Negi as the Stone ninja pulled himself to his feet. Disoriented but not harmed by the fire nor the tornado he had failed to realize the danger he was in as his former partner drove his hand into the "Unbreakable" ninja's chest. "Your failure has cost us much and will no longer be tolerated."

He turned to Ranma even as he pulled out his hand, his former partner's heart in his hands. "I will remember your name Ranma Saotome."


End file.
